


Knights of the Fallen Empire

by socksbeforeglocks



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Other, Relationships to be added - Freeform, kotfe, some canon-divergence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-10-04 12:34:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 37,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10278140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/socksbeforeglocks/pseuds/socksbeforeglocks
Summary: The Republic and Empire have fallen to a mysterious threat that exists beyond the very edges of known space while Major Caydenn Creed continues her hunt for the illusive Sith Emperor who ravaged the planet Ziost and disappeared. Thrust into a brewing war as the Commander and Savior to some and a brutal Outlander to others, Caydenn must quickly gather allies from all corners of the galaxy to fight back against this overwhelming force and put an end to Vitiate's machinations before there is nothing left to save.





	1. Chapter 1: The Hunt

**Author's Note:**

> An in depth retelling of Knights of the Fallen Empire. There will be canon divergence and story changes and mixing of multiple classes. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1 

A soft beep interrupted the drowsy silence that had fallen over Caydenn as she lay in her bunk in the private commanders quarters aboard the Thunderclap. She slowly opened one eye to peer at the offending device that continued to blip away ignorant of the sleep it had interrupted. Caydenn let out a sigh and rolled onto her back, digging the palms of her hands into her eyes in an effort to rub the sleep from them. She winced as the metal of her prosthetic right arm dug in a little too much. Rolling up to a sitting position Caydenn swung her legs over the side of her bed and reached for her still beeping datapad and clicked it on. The message alert blinked dimly in the dark cabin and Caydenn stared at the name attached to the file before clicking the message open. 

From: Darth Marr  
Subject: Ziost

Major Creed,

This message is for your eyes only as you understand the severity of the threat that the galaxy faces in the form of the rogue former emperor. Scouts of mine have picked up the trail in the outer fringes of known space heading toward the uncharted regions. 

Rendezvous with my personal flagship at these coordinates as soon as possible.

Do not delay,  
Darth Marr

Caydenn blinked twice before rereading the message again. The Sith emperor found? And in the outer reaches of Wild Space? Phantom pains dully throbbed through her body reminding the Major of her still healing injuries that she had received a month prior on Ziost at the hand of the emperor. If he had resurfaced it could only mean he was possibly preparing to strike. There were many in the Empire who still supported the errant emperor even after all he did and would gladly rally to his side. 

“Kriff,”Caydenn mumbled under her breath. 

Caydenn tossed the datapad aside and began pulling on her boots. Reaching behind her she pulled on a standard issue gray shirt catching a glimpse of her haggard appearance in the small mirror that hung beside her armor locker. Her black hair was twisted around her horns that ran across her head and her muted blue eyes were bloodshot from the lack of sleep, lines pulling at her mouth and forehead. Her brown skin was a pale ashen color and the scars that cut across her face appeared to be deeper. The Major ignored her reflection and marched out of her quarters toward the bridge. She took the stairs two at a time and sat down at the main chair punching in the coordinates Marr had sent her.

“Major?” A voice behind her drew her attention from the navicomputer to her XO Jorgan who stood in the doorway with furrowed brows. 

“New marching orders Jorgan,” Caydenn explained before turning back to the navicomputer. Jorgan took the seat beside her. 

“It's him again.” The simple statement caused Caydenn to tense, her broad shoulders settling into a hard line. She couldn't meet Jorgan's concerned eyes so instead, she looked out the viewport into the vast expanse of space. Havoc was currently on dry dock with the Republic fleet at Carrick station restocking supplies and repairing the Thunderclap, but Caydenn knew better. This forced R&R was just the brass grounding her for her questionable actions on Ziost. Crossing enemy lines, inciting violence and endangering the entirety of Havoc squad just to pursue personal matters. It didn't help that Chancellor Saresh had personally ordered Havoc squad to cool its heels in Republic space far away from Imperial sectors. Far away from hunting for Vitiate. She knew her squad was worried for her. She had nearly died on Ziost facing the emperor and had kept much of what she had done on Manaan, Rishi, and Yavin a secret from them. Only Jorgan truly knew the full story of the all the events that had transpired. 

“A new lead has come up,” Caydenn supplied vaguely. She didn't want to tell him it came from the Empire. During their time on Yavin fighting Revan's forces Jorgan and her had come to blows over her involvement with the Empire. How she had broken countless regulations and gone behind Spec Forces backs to work with a rogue Sith and SIS agent. Jorgan had told she was being reckless to trust the Imps and especially the Sith. Caydenn had argued that it was a necessary alliance. It was still a sore point between them. 

“From your Sith?” Jorgan prodded. His green eyes carefully watched her face for any signs that would give something away. 

Caydenn shook her head. “It's not from Lana. I got a message from Marr.” She tossed Jorgan her datapad and he scanned through the message. 

“Surprised it wasn't from her,” Jorgan murmured more to himself than to her, but Caydenn still heard it and locked her jaw to keep herself from snapping back at him. The Zabrak leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. Her now nonexistent relationship with Lana was another touchy subject between the two of them. Jorgan was the only one besides Theron who knew of her brief relationship with Lana Beniko if anyone could even call what they had a relationship. It was only a few flirtatious comments thrown back and forth between them, a couple of kisses, and one shared night on Yavin before it all ended with a vicious series of arguments on Ziost and the two of them being severely injured. Caydenn had reached out once to see if Lana was okay. After everything they had been through Caydenn still counted her as a friend and cared deeply for the Sith even if Lana had made it very clear that what they had was over. Jorgan had been furious when he caught the two of them in a private embrace on Yavin. Jorgan had claimed that Lana was just using her while Caydenn defended Lana telling Jorgan that she was different from other Sith and Imperials. She knew his anger came from a place of just wanting to keep her safe. Eventually, Jorgan agreed to keep it quiet and after Ziost Caydenn stopped trying to reconnect with Lana. 

“We haven't spoken since Ziost,” Caydenn supplied. Jorgan frowned and placed the datapad to the side. 

“What now?” Caydenn hesitated to answer. In honesty she wanted to get the Thunderclap moving, meet up with Marr's flagship and end Vitiate, but it wasn't that simple. 

“I know what I have to do, but I can't ask Havoc to follow me. Not this time.” Caydenn was already in trouble with Command and by extension so was Havoc. This time she would do this on her own and not risk her squadmates any further. Command wouldn't take lightly to her meeting with the Empire again against their express orders to stay put in Republic space. 

Jorgan snorted. “You don't have to ask. Havoc has your six. I have your six.”

“You know what Command will do when they find out. Saresh is already gunning for me,” Caydenn pointed out. 

“Doesn't matter. I may not have always agreed with everything you have done over these past few months, but I know you did what you thought was right. I'm gonna see this through with you Caydenn just like we always do.” Jorgan engaged the hyperdrives and the Thunderclap's engines came to life, thrumming below their feet. The ship began to move forward and pick up speed as the stars began to curve and stretch around them. The two soldiers settled into their seats for the trip. 

“Jorgan?”

“Hmmmm?”

“Thanks.”

“Don't mention it Caydenn.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Thunderclap slipped from hyperspace and directed its course towards a massive dreadnaught surrounded by several smaller cruisers, all Imperial, but Caydenn could make out a few Hammerhead cruisers dotting the small fleet. Jorgan piloted the Thunderclap towards an airlock on Darth Marr's flagship. A docking mechanism extended and an audible hiss and snap were heard indicating the Thunderclap was docked with the dreadnaught. Caydenn and Jorgan walked towards the airlock and waited for the doors to open. Caydenn checked her armor and made sure her rifle was secured to her back. The last thing she needed was a misfiring weapon on board a ship of Imperials. Regardless of if they had worked together in the past, she doubted none of them would pass up the opportunity to shoot her in the head. Especially if she gave them a reason. 

“I'll be on your comm the entire time,” Jorgan assured her, handing the soldier her helmet. Caydenn stared down at the helmet contemplating whether or not to put it on or just to leave it behind. She compromised and clipped it to her belt. The airlock doors swished open and a gush of pressurized air rushed into the tiny space the two soldiers occupied. 

“Top off on weapon's check. Make sure everything is prepped and ready,” Caydenn ordered. 

“I'll make sure Forex doesn't realize who we've docked with. That said I'll be keeping my weapons close.” 

Caydenn nodded and walked towards the two lines of troops standing parallel to each other. Republic and Imperial soldiers alike stood side by side ramrod straight. The tension was nearly palpable. At the end stood the Captain of the dreadnaught. She was small of stature, nearly a head shorter than Caydenn, with sleek black hair pulled back professionally and light accents of makeup to highlight her sharp cheekbones and dark eyes. She stood rigid with her hands clasped behind her back. 

“Major,” the Captain nodded.

“Captain. How's everyone getting along?” Caydenn gave a slight gesture to the surrounding troops. 

“Fine Major, we all know what's at stake,” the Captain intoned. Even though she was much smaller than the Major it felt as if she was staring down her nose at Caydenn. “Darth Marr awaits you on the bridge. I trust you remember the way?”

“Yeah thanks.” Caydenn brushed past her and walked towards the massive doors on the other side of the hall. Caydenn passed through the sterile metal halls of the ship past Imperial soldiers hurrying around her or working at terminals. Once in a while, she would catch their suspicious glances, hear their murmurs. 

“You lost the bet. Pay up.” A rough voice caught Caydenn's attention as she passed by a troop station. 

“The missions not over yet, one of these Republic goons could still pull a knife.” Another voice this time, male with an accusatory edge. Caydenn slowed as she passed by the two, a soldier and a tech. 

“Please none of them are stupid enough to try anything. We outnumber them four to one,” the soldier snorted rechecking her rifle. 

“Say what you will. I'm telling you they'll try something before this job is done,” the tech affirmed. 

Caydenn frowned and turned to go up a flight stairs and entered a lift. She took the lift to the bridge level and moved past a large group of Republic and Imperial crewman who were running lines and carrying datapads. Caydenn hung a right and ducked into the communications terminal of the ship, arguably the busiest and hectic. 

“I heard he's been spotted.” An Imperial accent taut with worry murmured. 

“Spotted? How can you spot a ghost?” another voice asked incredulously, a Republic officer.

“I don't know, but we're due to engage any second,” the Imperial communications officer retorted. Caydenn shook her head. Fear and mistrust were making the crew skittish. A ripe situation for mistakes to be made. Everyone would be better off if and when they found the missing Sith Emperor. 

Caydenn walked through the communications hub and took the first flight of stairs outside the room. The durasteel doors swished open as Caydenn entered. At the end of the bridge stood Darth Marr, arms crossed over his chest gazing out of the viewport into space. Caydenn approached, stopping just beside the Sith.

“Major,” the Dark Council member inclined his head in her direction. A sign of acknowledgment one that the Sith would not have given the Major back on Yavin. Small miracles she supposed. 

“Marr. Your message was urgent. Have you really found him?” asked Caydenn.

“My scouts have found signs of him. Now that we are here I can sense his presence,” Marr confirmed. 

“Like on Ziost,” Caydenn murmured. 

“It would seem so, but why has he fled so far out into the outer reaches of the galaxy?” Marr questioned.

“I'm not familiar with this portion of space. There's no information of it on my ship.” Caydenn shifted to the side. 

“We are on the very edges of Wild Space. Not much is known about this region, but several outposts have been attacked.” Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a harsh beeping noise. A comms officer stood up abruptly. “My lord we've spotted something small two clicks out, moving fast. It looks like some kind of probe?” Just as the words left the officer's mouth a small unknown probe zipped over the topped of the ship and into open space. 

“Raise shields and pursue,” Marr ordered. The huge dreadnaught lurched forward. Caydenn felt an uneasy feeling settle over her.

“Careful Marr,” the Major cautioned, “This could be an ambush.”

“If we don't capture that probe we will be ambushed,” Marr growled. The probe zigzagged in front of them. “Ready the tractor beam.” 

Before anyone could move the space in front of them warped signaling a ship exiting hyperspace. Signals began to blare and the comm stations lit up. Caydenn watched in shock as an entire fleet emerged in front of them. The ships were slightly smaller than Marr's dreadnaught in length and slim. Caydenn couldn't place their origin having never seen ships like these. Where had they come from and how come they hadn't picked up their presence on their sensors? 

Marr whirled around barking orders. “Come about 180 degrees and return fire.” The unknown ships began firing on Marr's dreadnaught. Everything rocked violently and the crew braced the impact. 

“My lord we have multiple sensors going off across the ship and we are getting alerts of boarders on the engineering deck.” Marr cursed and checked a console to confirm the report. 

“Get me a damage report,” Marr snapped and the officers jumped to comply. 

Caydenn slid her helmet onto her head, a slight hiss indicating her helmet was sealed. “I'll take care of the boarders.” 

Marr nodded and turned back to the console. Caydenn turned and dashed off the bridge and out into the communications station which was alight with frenzied activity as the crew rushed about. Caydenn pushed through the crowd and out the doors. She ran down a hall dodging other crew and droids, the sound of blaster fire echoing through the ship. She rounded a corner and saw Republic and Imperial soldiers alike firing on what appeared to be advanced war droids. The droids were a stark white color and almost two meters tall with built-in propulsion thrusters on their back. Caydenn pulled her carbine rifle off her back and lined up one of the droids in her sites. Her finger squeezed the trigger and several blue bolts found their mark in the droids chest causing it to stumble, but not go down. Reinforced armored chassis Caydenn surmised as she lobbed a thermal grenade over into the middle of the droids. The grenade exploded taking out the droids and clearing the hallway.

“Everyone okay here?” Caydenn asks stepping forward to inspect the dismantled droids. 

“Yes sir. What are your orders?” Several Republic soldiers step forward. 

“Sweep this floor for boarders,” Caydenn ordered before she turned and pressed forward farther into the dreadnaught. 

“Boarders are attempting to sabotage the shields. Stop them.” Marr's voiced echoed through her helmet. Caydenn took a sharp right down the hall and stepped into an elevator taking it to the engineering level. She stepped out and suddenly was thrown sideways into a wall as the ship keeled violently. Caydenn shook her head and cursed. This couldn't be good. The enemies firepower must be greater than what Caydenn first assumed. Caydenn steadied herself then took off, blasting through the roaming packs of the enemy. The droids seemed to move in squads of three or four and had basic combat AI programs. Caydenn paused as she entered the power station that supplied the shields. Before her stood a different droid. It was the same size as the other droids but it was black with gold detailing and its rifle had a grenade mod attached to it. Caydenn aimed her rifle at the droids head and let loose an explosive round. The droid stumbled forward then turned and let off a slew of shots. Caydenn ducked and rolled forward under the shots before bringing her rifle up and letting off two shots into the droids chest. It crumbled to the ground and Caydenn rushed forward to check the energy readings. 

“Marr the shields are safe. Energy readings are stable.” The Zabrak tapped a few buttons on the console to bring up a ray shield around the station and console. 

“Boarders are overwhelming our forces in the northern hangers.” Marr's clipped voice flooded her HUD and Caydenn backed out of the room and headed towards the hanger. 

“Marr do we have any idea who these attackers are?” Caydenn asked as she ran through the hallways. Static was all she heard. The enemy must have been jamming internal comms. Ahead she saw two soldiers standing outside a ray-shielded doorway leading to the hanger. 

“We have to help those soldiers. They'll die if we don't.” The man who raised his voice was in a Republic uniform. He was bald with implants on his face. 

“We can't lose this position. We have our orders,” argued the other, an Imperial soldier. 

“What's going on here,” asked Caydenn halting the two men's heated words. 

“There are people trapped in the hanger. The place is flooded with enemies. There's no way to clear them all out. We have to make sure they don't break through,” the Imperial replied astutely. The other man looked like he wanted to disagree but Caydenn waved him off. 

“Let the shields down. I'll see what I can do.” The Imperial looked like he wanted to disobey, but he thumbed the controls dropping the shield. Caydenn pushed through. The hall was lined with injured crew and soldiers Imperial and Republic alike. The injuries were severe and some appeared to be dead. The ship rocked again and Caydenn could hear explosions coming from inside the hanger. She stepped into the chamber and was met with a mini war zone. Scattered around the hanger were pockets of droids firing on the minimal resistance fighting back. 

Caydenn slipped into her training and moved fluidly around the hanger picking off enemy squads smoothly. She lobbed a grenade into the last group of droids and watched with grim satisfaction as they crumpled to the ground. The remaining troops began to help the injured out of the hanger and Caydenn followed them out. She found the same two soldiers outside the hanger. 

“You did it. I can't believe you actually did it,” The bald man exclaimed with awe.

“Help the injured and keep this hanger secure.” Caydenn checked her rifle then slung it over her shoulder. 

“Yes sir and thank you,” the Imperial affirmed. Caydenn turned and began making her way back to the bridge. A sudden spray of blaster fire rocked the entire ship. 

“-Can't detach! I repeat can't detach! The airlock is blown out and docking clamps aren't responding. We can't come in and we can't detach. Do you copy?” Aric's voice echoes through her HUD.

“I copy Jorgan. I'm on my way,” Caydenn replies running to the airlock Havoc was docked at. Outside the dreadnaught fighters engage the enemies as best they can, but Marr's fleet was crumbling. Several of the cruisers were breaking apart under the unrelenting bombardment. Marr's flagship is in flames, shields failing and half of the armaments offline. Explosions rock the ship as Caydenn sprints towards the manual airlock controls pressing the release button. Twisted metal blocks the way to the ship. She hears a sharp hiss and knows the Thunderclap is free. Moments later Jorgan confirms. “We're free, but I'm seeing a lot of red dots out there....what's the plan?”

Caydenn staggered trying to keep her footing on the reeling ship. There are too many ships for Havoc to take on. If they stay they'll be blown away, but if they leave there will be no chance of escape for her. “If you see an opening take it. Someone has to make it back to the Republic.” Fire flashed about the soldier. 

“That is not an option Major. We are not leaving you here.” She can hear the emotion in his voice. Caydenn gritted her teeth.

“I'm giving you an order Jorgan. Move it.” There was a pause and Caydenn can almost hear the thoughts running through his head. “Jorgan I'll be okay.” A lie, but she had to find a way to make him retreat. 

“We're coming back with reinforcements and medical crews. Good luck Caydenn.” And then the comm cuts off and Caydenn hopes that the Thunderclap was able to make a jump to hyperspace. The entire docking bay is burning and Caydenn stumbles away. 

“The enemy has breached the engineering deck and is after the primary generator. Meet me there.” Marr's voice broke through the static and Caydenn turned to head deeper into the ship. Marr must know by now that the ship was breaking apart. The shields were failing and Caydenn was pretty sure that the primary engines were offline. There was no way they could keep defending this failing ship. They would have to hopefully retreat and regroup or go down with the ship. She rounded the corner and found Marr dismantling several of the enemy droids. His lightsaber sliced through the droids with ease. Caydenn watched him stretch out his hand and crush one of the fallen foes. The Major could almost feel the anger rolling off the Sith.  
Marr turned to address her. “The bridge is secure, but without power, we'll be destroyed in minutes.”

“Let's not waste anytime then.” The two loped off in the direction of the primary generator. Fighting beside Marr was different than fighting with Havoc. Marr was relentless. He would charge forward deflecting shots and crushing droids with the Force. Fighting with Havoc was seamless. Everyone on her squad knew their position and what to do and they ran like a well-oiled machine. With Marr, they were off beat. Caydenn would pick her targets and take out two of them just to turn and find Marr finishing off her last mark. He didn't speak much to her except to indicate where they should head next. They pushed past the last squad of droids. Marr waved her over and Caydenn crouched and followed Marr over to the railing. Below them was a massive war droid. Two cannons swiveled about as the droid paced back and forth in front of a console. 

“I'll distract it,” Caydenn said prepping her rifle. Marr nodded and Caydenn leaped over the railing, tucking into a roll and firing off several shots which bounced off a shield generator that shimmered around the droid. It turned in her direction and fired off a combustion round. Caydenn dashed to the side, the flames from the round licking at her heels. Caydenn flipped a switch on her rifle to load a propulsion round and aimed at the base of the droid and fired. The round collided with the shield overloading the power matrix and knocking it back. Caydenn fired a grenade round denting the chassis and further scrambling the shield. The droid retaliated by launching a small compact missile at the Majors feet. The ground exploded as Caydenn threw herself back, but she could feel a piece of shrapnel dig into her side between the plates of her armor and the heat burn against her legs. Kriff where was Marr? 

The droid was now firing off rapid shots and Caydenn dashed to the side returning fire. A red lightsaber violently bisected the droid in half and Marr stepped out from behind the wreckage. Caydenn shook her head and pulled the jagged metal out of her side before applying a kolto patch to staunch the bleeding. Caydenn eyed the sparking generator as she approached. 

“The power cores on its last legs. We may be able to juice the shields back up but they won't last long,” Caydenn assessed grimly. 

Marr slammed his palm down onto the console he was leaned over. “The hyperdrive is completely burnt out.” 

A sudden burst of blue light flashed to life as a holocomm of a bridge officer appeared crouched down. “Enemies on the bridge. I repeat enemi-.” The holocomm abruptly cut off and Caydenn felt a sinking feeling settle over her. The bridge was lost, shields dead, and the hyperdrive completely disabled. There was no hope of escape and no reinforcements were coming. The ship was breaking apart. Marr seemed to share her thoughts. “There are rudimentary backup controls here, and the enemy has us surrounded. We have very few options left.”

Caydenn knew what Marr wanted to do. Ram the dreadnaught into the nearest enemy ship and go down fighting and to be honest Caydenn wanted to give the enemy one last blow, but she also knew that there were still many people aboard who had to be given the chance to escape. 

“We have to save as many as we can,” said Caydenn hitting the evacuate order. The sirens blared throughout the ship as crew and soldiers alike boarded escape pods. Marr shook his head and Caydenn could almost see the disappointment radiating around him. Too late now. The ship was shuddering beneath them, metal framing falling and flames shooting out of the walls. A deafening explosion was heard and the air pressure dropped signaling that a major breach had occurred somewhere in the ship. Marr outstretched his arms to try to shield the both of them from falling debris. The last thing Caydenn saw was a massive girder falling onto Marr before she lost consciousness. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A massive sleek destroyer drifted above the cloudy blue surface of a planet. Large spires rose up from the surface, spiking through the atmosphere. The space was still. Other ships smaller than the massive destroyer stood by. 

Caydenn awoke to complete silence. She was lying on her side in a bunk, hands were cuffed in front of her. The silence was almost more suffocating than the smoke she had been breathing in on Marr's flagship. Her whole body ached and a sharp pain radiated from her injured side. Caydenn rolled slightly and sat up. Her head spun and a piercing pain bloomed throughout her chest. Probably a few broken ribs and a concussion. Her rifle was missing along with her helmet and tactical belt that had her sidearm and combat knife attached to it. Several people entered her cell and moved around her. Stopping in front was a tall man wearing white robes. His left arm was completely cybernetic and the left-hand side of his face was covered by a black armored mask, but Caydenn could make out burns peaking out from the corners of the mask. He stares down at her, a single eye blazing yellowish orange. “You've awakened. I trust you can walk.” 

Caydenn doesn't reply. Instead, she studies his features. Shaven hair, broad shoulders, and a severely rigid posture made Caydenn guess this individual had to be some type of commander or officer. Her eyes spied a lightsaber clipped to his belt. A Force user of some kind perhaps? 

“Your silence will not help you here,” the man said. “Come along.” 

He turned and stalked out of the cell. One of the guards motioned with his rifle for her to follow him. Caydenn stood, immediately feeling pain rip through her side. She gritted her teeth to keep any sound from escaping. The two guards flanked her side shadowing her every movement. As she emerged from the cell she saw Darth Marr being led out of a cell across from hers. 

“What empire have we entered?” Marr asked. His armor was singed but other than that he seemed okay. 

The young man stared up at Marr but didn't seem intimidated by the tall Sith lord. “The Eternal Empire. Zakuul.” He walked a few paces ahead of them before turning. “You didn't even know who's territory you were invading?”

“A few outposts were attacked. Your handy work?” The Major inquired staring down the man. 

“We tested your strength,” he replied with an undertone of arrogance and disdain. 

“You seemed to have suffered for it.” Caydenn could hear the gloat in Marr's voice. 

“No more than your people did,” the man provided. 

“What do you hope to achieve from this?” Marr growled. His patience was wearing thin. 

“I have questions and you will provide the answers.” 

“We will tell you nothing,” Marr swore his voice dipping several octaves. 

“We'll see.” He turned and walked down a hallway and the guards motioned for them to follow. Caydenn half expected Marr to strangle the guards, but instead, he moved ahead. Either something was affecting his connection to the Force or he was more severely injured than Caydenn first thought. As they walked through the pristine sterile halls of the ship Caydenn tried to spy anything that she recognized. There were some of those droids she had fought on Darth Marr's ship standing guard at doors along the hallway. They were loaded onto a personal armored shuttle that slipped from the ships hanger and approached the top of a massive spire. 

“Prince Arcann final docking sequence initiated.” A voice echoed through the comm system. A prince? The ship docked onto the spire top and Caydenn felt a rifle muzzle tap the armor that covered her back as Caydenn paused before exiting the shuttle. The two were led down a massive plexiglass hallway. Strange individuals with bronze gold armor lined the hallway. They carried shields and lightsabers mounted on long poles. They looked neither like Jedi or Sith. 

Arcann walked slightly ahead. “We recovered the records from your ships computers. Or rather what was left of them. Fascinating reading.” 

Caydenn didn't say anything. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing if his words had bothered her. 

Arcann continued regardless. “That one soldier could have such a significant impact on a war of that scale...quite impressive.”

“All of your soldiers appear to be droids. Not enough live volunteers.” Caydenn couldn't resist the little dig.

It didn't seem to ruffle the prince. “I can find volunteers when I need to.” They stared each other down. It was a power struggle, one that Caydenn wasn't willing to back down from. Their little stare off was interrupted by an older man walking down the hall. He stopped just short of Arcann and gave a small bow. 

“Prince Arcann.” His voice was sibilant and soft, almost coming out like a hiss. A serpent with a silver tongue. 

“Heskal. Still waiting for the catastrophe you and your Scions foretold,” Arcann scoffed. Caydenn eyed the two. They appeared to be at odds. 

Heskal seemed to ignore the sneer. “You may close your ears to the whispers of Fate my prince, but they cannot be silenced.” 

Arcann stalked forward into the older man's space. To Heskal's credit, he didn't back down. “I wonder if silencing you would suffice. Now take your superstitions elsewhere. You are not needed here,” Arcann threatened. Caydenn chose to remain silent during the exchange, filing the argument away in her memory. 

Marr was not so restrained. “Is this why you brought us here? To hear you bicker with soothsayers.”

Arcann didn't reply immediately, his attention still fixed on Heskal. “Come along.” The order almost came out as a guttural growl. 

“Your taking us to your master,” Marr prodded. It was as if the Sith couldn't help but needle their captor. Caydenn had to suppress a snort. 

“I'm taking you to my father, the Immortal Emperor of Zakuul,” Arcann intoned. He seemed to have reigned in his temper as Heskal retreated back the way he came. 

“An emperor. Just what we were searching for.” Marr turned to Caydenn. 

“Looks like this trip was worth it,” Caydenn agreed. 

“You will not find what you wanted here,” Arcann interjected ending the conversation. They were led down the hallway and passed more of the silent masked guards who didn't even acknowledge them. Caydenn glanced out the viewports and saw many of those strange warships gridlocked in place around the spire they were in. A massive bronze door slid open before the group and led them into a massive spherical shaped room. The walls were thick plexiglass with durasteel girders holding them together. All around them was open space and views of an unknown planet below. In the center of the room was a massive white and golden throne that sat upon a raised dais. The same mysterious guards lined the pathway to the throne, eerie glowing eyes fixated ahead. Caydenn assumed that this room was the very pinnacle of this empire, the ruler sitting at the very heights of the heavens and looking down upon his people. To Caydenn it felt like a gilded cage. As they approached the dais Caydenn caught sight of an older man who sat upon the throne. He wore white armor intermixed with gray and golden robes trimmed with silver. His hair was a grayish white and his face was lined with deep veins and age tracks. He would have almost been regal in appearance if it wasn't for his glowing reddish-orange eyes that shown like twin suns. Eyes that Caydenn had seen before. When they reached the end of the aisle Arcann dropped to one knee before the dais. “His Glorious Majesty. Immortal Master and Protector of Zakuul: Emperor Valkorian.”

“Welcome,” the man on the throne intoned apathetically. His voice was deep with a slight gravel to it that made the word echo around the room. He watched them with almost amusement. 

“A new name, a new face...but these are not enough to hide from us,” Marr remarked his posture stiffening visibly. 

“Marr?” Caydenn questioned.

“I would know his presence anywhere,” Marr continued. “The Sith Emperor. We've been hunting you.”

Suddenly everything fell into place and Caydenn felt a deep anger well up inside of her. So they had finally found him.“Do these people have any idea who you really are? The kinds of things you're capable of?”

“Do you?” Valkorion retorted back. Caydenn had to clench her jaw. Her body trembled, not from pain this time, but from rage. 

“Your constant silence across our history....this was your distraction?” Marr snapped angrily. 

“This was my focus,” Valkorion replied calmly, almost patronizing. “Everything else was a means to an end. You claim to have come all of this way to find me. Here I am. What do you want?” 

“I want you to answer for your crimes! The destruction of Ziost, decades of war between the Republic and the Empire-you caused it all,” Caydenn answered her voice quaked with barely restrained fury. 

Valkorion rose from his throne slowly. “The fates of your Core worlds and the people on them are of no concern to me.” Caydenn glared up at the man. The Emperor continued as he walked carefully down the steps of the dais towards them. “You say you know me-If that is true, then you know the depths of my power. Whatever you hoped to achieve here, you know deep inside that you cannot succeed.”

Valkorion paused on the lower dais and waived his hand to the side. Marr's restraints unlocked and fell to the floor with a dull clunk. Caydenn's remained firmly in place. “But you do not have to stand against me. Instead...you can kneel.”

Caydenn turned to look at Marr. Was the former Sith Emperor really offering a chance to welcome his former subject into his new empire, or was all of this just another game? Marr marched forward towards the dais. “I will never again kneel to you!”

Arcann turned to look back at his father, his hand reaching for his lightsaber, but Valkorion raised a hand to stop the young man. “You would sooner die than acknowledge my superiority?”

“It is you who fears death, “Valkorion”. I do not. I will not kneel!” Marr swore shaking a clenched fist up at the false emperor. Marr then turned and thrust his arms out, the two closest guards were unceremoniously flung backward. The two guards with rifles who had been following them closely moved to shoot, but Marr twisted his hand and a sickening crack was heard. The two guards fell to the ground, necks broken. Marr pulled a fallen pike to his hand as more guards rushed him from all sides. Caydenn ducked under a shield meant to throw her to the ground and rammed her shoulder into the man's stomach just below his diaphragm. He gave a strangled gasp and stumbled back and Caydenn pivoted on one foot landing a solid kick to his head causing the guard to fall backward off the elevated platform. Marr had flung his impromptu weapon into the chest of the closest guard and pushed another off the raised platform. The guard cried out before his body thudded onto the floor well below them. 

The guards warily circled the two of them, pikes raised at the ready. With her hands still bound, there wasn't much Caydenn could do to fend off her attackers. Suddenly the air felt charged with energy and ions. The hair on her head and around her horns stood up. She saw Marr turn having also sensed the impending danger only to be flung back as his entire body was engulfed in pure white lightning that sprung from Valkorion's fingertips. Distracted by the savage attack Caydenn was too late to dodge the shield that slammed into her chest and knocked her off her feet onto her back. Her ribs screamed in protest and Caydenn gasped for air. A booted foot struck her in the face once, twice, thrice before she was hauled to her feet and pushed forward dazed and in agony towards the dais. The charred corpse of Marr lay but a few feet away. 

A young woman approached Marr's body. She was shorter than Arcann with a slim build. She wore all black in contrast to Arcann and Valkorion's white robes. Her face was thin with sharp jutting cheekbones and narrowed cruel yellow eyes, deep brown hair spilled from beneath a dark cowl and framed her pale face. “Clear the room. Everyone out!” The guards obeyed the mysterious girl without question, filing out and dragging their dead behind them with the young woman in black the last to leave. She cast one last scalding look in Caydenn's direction before the doors shut. 

“Marr actually gave your people real leadership. More than you ever did for them,” Caydenn rasped out, still standing. Even though she was badly injured and more than likely about to die in the next few moments Caydenn refused to die on her knees. 

“He was narrow-minded,” Valkorion brushed off. “Bound by irrelevant ancient dogma. But I think you are different.”

Caydenn blinked in surprise. Valkorion continued. “In all my centuries, you alone have merited my full attention. You leave your mark upon the galaxy wherever you act. Just as I do.”

“I'm nothing like you,” spat Caydenn.

Valkorion ignored her outburst and instead gestured to the planet below them. “Look around you. Zakuul is poised to become the greatest civilization in the history of the galaxy. I have forged this empire to surmount all of my previous works. To span eternity. The Eternal Throne commands a fleet more vast than any other built. It has the power to reshape the galaxy into any image that I choose. That we choose.” Valkorion descended the steps of the dais and now stood in front of the Major. Caydenn wasn't sure if any of this was really happening. Was Valkorion about to offer her the same deal he had given to Marr moments ago? 

“I will share all of this with you....if you will only kneel.” Valkorion offered his hand to her, but Caydenn kept her blazing blue eyes locked with Valkorion's. Arcann stood ready behind his father.

“I've seen the things you do. 'Sharing' isn't one of them. You're a monster-I'll never join you,” Caydenn affirmed her voice hard and clear leaving no room for any misconceptions. She would fight him until her last breath.

“So be it,” said Valkorion nodding to Arcann as he turned and made his back to his throne. Arcann stalked forward stopping just short of the soldier. He ignited his yellow blade, his single blazing eye meeting hers. Caydenn refused to drop her gaze or look away. She would face her death head-on. Arcann raised his blade but paused. He glanced over at his father's turned back then back at her. 

“You came here to defeat him-this is your chance.” Arcann then swung his blade down sheering through her restraints. Caydenn looked down in shock at her freed hands then back up at the dark prince who was charging towards the Emperor. He swung his lightsaber savagely at Valkorion only to have it blocked by some unseen force. Valkorion didn't seem surprised; he merely raised his hand to block the blows raining down from his son's blade backing away from the angry onslaught. Caydenn frantically searched for a weapon that could have been discarded during the skirmish that Marr had started. There was nothing around. 

“First your brother and now your father,” Valkorion intoned as he fended off Arcann's increasingly frenzied attacks and backed away. 

Arcann followed his blade raised in a defensive position over his head. “Does my ambition truly surprise you?”

“You do not have ambition. Only jealousy,” Valkorion mocked as he batted Arcann's overhead strike aside. Arcann stumbled back dropping his guard for a split second. It was all the opening Valkorion needed as he blasted Arcann back with a storm of lightning. Arcann slid back, his robes blackened, the smell of burnt flesh permeating the air. A glint caught Caydenn's eye and there next to Marr's fallen body was a blaster that had probably fallen from one of the dead guards. Caydenn dashed forward and scooped it up sliding the safety off and aiming it directly at Valkorion's back. He didn't seem to notice her. 

“That is why you fail,” revealed Valkorion as he stood over his son's prone body. Caydenn only needed one shot. She squeezed the trigger and the high pitched whine of a released bolt cut through the air as the serrated bolt found its resting place between Valkorion's shoulder blades right through his heart. The Emperor's body jerked forward, arms splaying to the side as he gazed down in astonishment at the burning hole in the center of his chest. Caydenn felt a numb sense of accomplishment wash over her. She had done it. 

“That was for all of the people you forced to suffer and die,” Caydenn growled lowering her weapon. 

Valkorion's body seemed to remain suspended in midair. Then a horrible guttural chuckle arose from deep within the dying man's body. “So be it.” 

Energy began pouring off of the Emperor's body in waves. It was so powerful it was visible. Deep twisting purple and white waves of pure energy radiating out from the dying man. The force was so great Caydenn felt herself being pushed back. She bent her knees to brace herself; the power not just washing over her, but cutting through her, almost as if it was trying to drown her. The presence was crushing and Caydenn could feel herself growing faint as the energy threatened to smother her. And then a massive blast of power shot out from Valkorion like a focused explosion slamming into Caydenn's body and knocking her back a few feet onto her back. She was barely conscious, the blast searing through her body making it feel like she was on fire. Valkorion's body fell lifeless to the ground. Caydenn could just make out from her blurry vision Arcann rising to his feet. The sounds of footsteps echoed behind her. 

“The Outlander has assassinated our Emperor. Take her away,” ordered Arcann. Outlander? What was he talking about? The strange girl in black was back again prowling around the dead body of Valkorion. Arcann ascended the steps of the dais and stood before the now empty throne. He tapped the console on the throne and turned. 

“People of Zakuul,” Arcann began solemnly. “The unthinkable has happened. Our beloved Emperor, Valkorion, is dead-murdered by an Outlander who sought to shake the foundations of our great society. The assassin will receive swift and just punishment. And this act of unprovoked aggression will be answered.” Unprovoked aggression? Assassination? Arcann had helped her to kill his own father. She felt two pairs of hands grasp her arms and her limp body slumped forward. She couldn't move and was barely on the cusp of consciousness. Arcann continued his impassioned speech. “As your new Emperor, I can promise you this: Zakuul's enemies will face the full power of the Eternal Throne. They will answer for their warmongering ways.” 

Caydenn wanted to struggle at hearing those words. She wanted to fight, to stop Arcann from fulfilling his terrible words, but she was being dragged away. Caydenn drifted in and out of consciousness before she heard a loud snap hiss. She was roughly thrown against a hard surface. Her eyes finally closed, her body succumbing to the pain and trauma she had endured. The last thing Caydenn felt was a rush of supercooled air all around her. Then nothing.


	2. Chapter 1.1: Shattering Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lana learns of Caydenn's and Darth Marr's mysterious demise and finds herself in a precarious situation with the Dark Council.

“Minister its been six hours since we lost contact with Darth Marr's flagship. Scout ships are still a few jumps out from reaching the dreadnaught's last known location.” Lana stared up from the datapad she had been looking over to the agent who stood before her; a young Chiss male with neatly combed hair. His face was blank but his posture was rigid. 

“Continue on course and monitor outlying probe data. Also get me the last comm logs and statistical readouts received from Darth Marr's Dreadnaught and the accompanying fleet,” Lana ordered. The agent nodded and walked off to retrieve the data. Lana sat back and rubbed her fingers against her temples. Six hours ago Sith Intelligence had been inundated with alerts that Darth Marr's dreadnaught had been destroyed by an unknown force. Lana had noted that it was the same unknown force's she had been tracking since several outposts had been destroyed in the Outer Rim. Not much was known about the enemy, only that their fleet was fast and hard to pinpoint. Numbers were still vague and details were few and far between. The destruction of Darth Marr's ship had come as a shocking blow to all.

She picked up her datapad and scanned through the comm logs that were streaming across the screen. Lana had kept a tight lip on the incident not wanting the news to spread and create more problems. She had not allowed any information on Darth Marr's possible demise to leak. If word got out then an inevitable fight would ensue to claim Darth Marr's vacant seat on the Dark Council. That said Lana was no fool. She knew there were some in Sith Intelligence that answered to other members of the Council. In fact, there was no doubt in Lana's mind that probably half of the Dark Council knew of the debacle going on. She was just waiting for the inevitable breakdown. 

A beep on her datapad indicated that the files she had requested had been transferred to her. Lana clicked open the first file and scanned through the ships logs that been sent to her. She noted the number of cruisers that had been present in Darth Marr's fleet and if any had escaped the attack. A ship name caught her eye immediately. A BT-7 model named Thunderclap and designated to...Havoc squad. So Caydenn had answered Darth Marr's call. She felt her heart sink as she scanned the logs and found no evidence that Havoc had left before the attack. 

Marr had requested her presence aboard his flagship in the hunt for their former emperor, but Lana had declined the invitation citing that there was no possible way for her to leave Sith Intelligence, not while she was still in the crucial stages of rebuilding the organization and dealing with the aftermath of Ziost. She felt a phantom pain ghost over her side where she had been stabbed by one of Vitiate's pawns while on Ziost. Truth is Lana wasn't sure if she could face the former emperor again. After coming face to face with his terrifying power on the doomed planet and nearly dying from the encounter Lana had been wary to face the elusive threat again. A decision so unlike her. 

Now knowing that her soldier had gone charging off to face Vitiate and had possibly been on Marr's ship...Lana shook her head. There was no point worrying about the Major when Lana had to deal with the Dark Council. A beep on her comlink interrupted her thoughts and Lana brought up the holocomm. The blue figure of Darth Nox appeared before her. 

“Minister Beniko,” she greeted crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Darth Nox.” Lana nodded back in respect. Lana hadn't been expecting a call from her friend, but she had a pretty good idea what Massaia was calling about. 

“An agent alerted me about Marr. Do you have any information about what happened?” Straight to the point as always. It was one of the things Lana liked about the other Sith.

“Information is vague at best. I'll have a better understanding of what happened when a scout ship reaches the last known location,” Lana provided. It wasn't much, but it was all Lana could offer at the moment. She wasn't even really sure why Massaia was looking into this matter since her sphere of influence didn't really cover military matters like this.

Massaia pressed her fingers together. “The Council knows of Marr's demise, Lana.” 

“Yes I know. I had assumed they would be aware of that much.” It was no secret the Dark Council knew everything that went on within the Sith power structure and even what went on outside of it. Massaia was quiet for a few beats and Lana could feel a swell of impatience bubble up inside of her. She had too much work to do and was frankly feeling like she was wasting time. “Massaia why did you comm me if you knew all of this?” 

Massaia sighed. “The Dark Council is closing ranks. Marr held a considerable amount of power and a seat. The Council doesn't want any of Marr's followers to discover his...absence. If they do they may try to fight for his seat.” 

“And the Council would rather handpick Marr's replacement,” Lana finished. Sith politics were draining. Frankly, Lana wondered how Massaia stood to play the mind-bending game of power. “Was this why you commed?”

“The Council is calling you up for review Lana,” Massaia revealed. Lana felt like someone had just punched her in the gut. The Council only called people to review to replace them or in extreme cases execute them. With Darth Marr possibly dead there was no one who she could trust on the Council and no one who would vouch for her. 

“When is the review?” Lana asked trying to reign in her reeling mind and center herself. Right now she had to do deal with Darth Marr's destroyed fleet and worry about her own position later. 

“Soon. Today or at the latest tomorrow,” Massaia answered. “I tell you this so you can have a chance to prepare. The Dark Council will be merciless.” 

“They're looking for a scapegoat for this whole debacle,” Lana accused. The Council needed someone to pin the blame on and the fledgling Sith Intelligence with its recently appointed Minister would be the best place to start. 

“You know you have my support Lana, but much of the Council despised Marr. Since you worked directly under him they see you as a direct extension of his will.” Massaia turned from the holocomm and spoke to someone out of frame. After a minute she turned back to address Lana. “I have to go. Remember what I said.” 

The visage vanished and Lana leaned back in her chair dragging her fingers through her hair. This was a disaster. With the threat of the Dark Council looming over her head Lana knew it was imperative to find out what exactly had happened to Darth Marr's fleet. Sifting through the data that continuously poured in from her agents Lana marked several planets in Wild Space that Darth Marr had passed before his transmissions ceased, Bakura and Teth. Not much was known about these planets as they were far removed from the galactic community and bordered the very edges of known space. A few border outposts had been attacked in the same region and Intelligence had monitored the incidents and searched for any more like it. 

Lana turned to her console and inserted a data disc. She downloaded all of the pertinent information she had gathered thus far and everything that had been sent to her. If she really was about to be called before the Dark Council for review she doubted they would let her keep her position and the clearance codes that came with it. In all honesty, they may just kill her out of convenience. A message flashed briefly over the screen indicating the transfer was complete. Lana slid the data disc from the port and deposited the tiny disc into a small metal lined pocket on her belt. If she was scanned while leaving Sith Intelligence they would never pick up on the data disc she had stashed away. 

Hours had passed since her talk with Darth Imperius and the clouds were slowly darkening outside of Lana's window with the rain coming down lightly causing a soft mist to rise up and blanket Kaas City. Lana closed her eyes, the day's events had drained her leaving the Sith exhausted. She reached out with the Force feeling the many lifeforms that moved and worked about Sith Intelligence, their thoughts were scattered. A mindless buzz that Lana could lose herself in. She pushed further past the walls of Sith Intelligence and into the busy streets of Kaas City where Imperial citizens moved about their own lives unaware of the happenings going on. And as Lana sat and meditated she felt a sudden warmth wash over her. It was a faint fleeting feeling that vanished quickly. Lana's eyes shot open in surprise. She took a breath to clear her mind and balance herself. She was obviously very tired from the day's events and her mind was playing tricks on her. Her hand drifted to a chain that hung unseen around her neck. Just as her fingers brushed over the chain the sensation from before brushed over her. 

The warm feeling was unmistakable and Lana pulled the chain free from where she kept it hidden beneath her robes. Caydenn's military tags dangled freely. They were the only piece of her that Lana had left, given to her on Yavin when she and the Major had parted ways after a bittersweet goodbye. She kept them with her as a reminder of all the fond memories she had shared with the soldier on Makeb, Rishi, Yavin 4. And then she had lost it all after Ziost. The warmth drifted over her again and this time Lana stood walking over to the window trying to shake the strange sensation, but it seemed to follow her around the room. Lightening flashed in the distance and a low crackle of thunder boomed across the landscape. The warmth seemed to flicker and Lana again concentrated, reaching out with her senses. She had always been sensitive to the callings of the Force; it was what made her so formidable. The tug was coming from far away, so far that Lana couldn't place it but it was familiar. Lana clenched the tags in her left hand and the warmth flared for a brief second before vanishing completely. Caydenn? Could it mean?

A sudden surge of emotion swept through Lana and she leaned heavily on the glass in front of her pressing her cheek to the chilled surface. A soft dry sob of relief escaped through her parted lips. Caydenn was alive. She didn't know how or why, but she knew through the Force, through this faint unknown bond she shared with the soldier that Caydenn was still breathing. 

“Pull yourself together,” Lana murmured to herself. She straightened her body and inhaled deeply through her nose before letting the air out through her mouth. Lana smoothed her thumb over the square tags once more before tucking them away beneath her robe again. There was nothing she could do to help Caydenn now. The best that she could hope to accomplish is find out what had happened to Marr's fleet and who had attacked them. 

“Minister Beniko,” a voice called from the doorway. Lana turned to see the same Chiss from before holding a datapad in his hand and looking rather expectant, a change from his usual apathetic expression. 

“Yes?” Lana motioned for him to enter as she took her seat at her desk. The Chiss approached and set the datapad down in front of her gently before taking a step back. 

“The first of the salvage teams and scout ships have made it to what remains of Darth Marr's fleet,” he reported astutely. 

“And?” Lana pursued as she quickly scanned through the reports that were flooding across the screen. 

“Reports indicate the fleet was destroyed. It is possible a Republic cruiser managed to make a jump to hyperspace before completely breaking apart, but there are no reports of it resurfacing. Scout ships have picked up what little survivors they could find from escape pods, but many were badly injured. Darth Marr's ship was found completely destroyed. The crews are searching the debris for a body,” the agent finished. Lana tapped her fingers against the datapad. 

“Was there any indication of who attacked the fleet,” Lana asked leaning back slightly. 

The agent shook his head. “The salvage crews haven't found anything yet, but as soon as they find anything I will alert you.” 

Lana nodded. “Good thank you...?” It occurred to Lana that she didn't even know the name of the agent she had come to rely on for information. 

“Enton, Minister,” he supplied. 

“Right. Monitor all reports coming back from the salvage teams Enton and..-”. Lana stopped abruptly. Behind Enton four masked guards clothed in red robes and armor drifted into the room. Each guard carried a heavy rifle and techstaff with barbed edges, their armor decorated with black markings identifying them as the personal guards of the Dark Council. So the Council had decided to make their move. They must have just received the information from the salvage teams as she did. 

“Minister Beniko, come with us,” one of the guards intoned. Enton stepped forward, but Lana waved him off. 

“You have your orders,” Lana reminded the Chiss before she allowed herself to be escorted out by the four armed guards. They moved silently through the building, brushing past any obstructions. People would glance their way, but no one moved to intercede. Lana couldn't fault them for their fear. The Council guard were fearsome warriors capable of subduing Sith. They had the authority of the Council to do as they wished with no worries of any repercussions. Waiting outside were two more Council guards standing beside an armored transport. They boarded the shuttle and began the short ride to the Sith Sanctum. There were no windows in the transport so Lana was forced to stare down the faceless guard across from her. Lana leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes briefly, letting her senses slowly spread out, allowing the Force to swirl and tug gently at the guard's minds to try to glean any information she could. Their minds were blank. Typical of their training to resist mind tricks. Lana drew back as the shuttle smoothly landed and she was again walking. Before her towered the massive Sith Sanctum. Lana had been here many times before, but she still took the time to admire the impressive soaring architecture. Grey arches and stark black walls soared high into the sky as if trying to pierce the velvety darkness above. 

Inside Lana was led down twisting corridors before being ushered into an elevator which rose several floors before stopping. Stepping out Lana stared down the single hallway which led to a set of massive doors at the end. The air was still with a faint chill creeping in. Beyond the hallway, Lana could sense the swirling power of the Dark Council encased behind the closed doors like a caged maelstrom. She strode forward, guards flanking her at either side. She would not show weakness. No fear would cloud her judgment. Frankly after witnessing the horrors of Ziost very little frightened Lana anymore. As she approached the doors a guard stepped forward holding up his hand. 

“Your lightsaber.” He pointed at weapon clipped to her belt. Lana hesitated her hand moving to grip the hilt of her saber. She rarely parted with her weapon and never to give it to another. The guard still waited patiently, but Lana could see from her peripherals the two guards beside her raise their rifles a fraction of an inch. A silent warning to surrender her saber before they made her. She unclipped her lightsaber and handed it over to the guardsman who returned to his position. The doors swung open and Lana stepped inside, but the guards did not follow. Instead, the doors closed and Lana was left standing in a large circular room with vaulted ceilings and slanted windows that cast a somber gray light. Around the room in raised high-backed chairs sat the Dark Council, some in the flesh while others flickered as holographs. She walked to the middle of the room and felt a subtle pressure settle in the back of her skull. The room felt pressurized much like being in an escape pod trapped in a planet's gravity well. The Force prodded against her mind, an insidious worm trying to burrow inside. Lana threw up her mental defenses repelling the foreign power. 

“Something to hide Minister?” A gravelly voice echoed off to her right. Lana didn't have to turn to know it was Darth Aruk head of the Sphere of Sith Philosophy. The ancient pureblood Sith appeared as a grainy blue hologram. Probably calling from his chambers on Korriban which he rarely left. 

“Nothing to hide my lord. Whatever questions you may have I can answer them verbally,” Lana coolly said. A short chuckle sounded from her left. 

“This is not a laughing matter Vowrawn. An entire fleet destroyed! A Dark Council member dead! And how does Sith Intelligence respond? With a lackluster effort to find the culprits responsible,” Darth Ravage accused. His orange eyes flashed, but his tone was controlled. Fake outrage. A performance for the other Council members. Lana wondered if any of them were fooled. 

“My lord Intelligence has just received the readouts from Darth Marr's fleet. Intelligence has retraced the hyperlanes and trajectory of Marr's fleet and those of the unknown attackers. It appears he was attacked by forces from outside known space,” Lana explained carefully. 

Ravage laughed. “Extragalactic invaders? That truly is an ingenious excuse Minister for your lack of information at this debacle.” 

Lana bit back an angry retort. Losing her cool here could mean losing her head later. “Salvage teams were able to identify the ruins of a foreign ship. It is not Republic nor Sith.”

“Could it have been a pirates vessel? Perhaps from a neutrally aligned world,” Darth Acina asked. 

Lana shook her head. “Intelligence has run the ship's schematics and what little information they could pull from the computers through our databases and nothing matches it in the known galaxy.”

“Just because it is not in the Intelligence databases does not mean it is not from within the galaxy or from the Republic,” Darth Mortis said. Ravage nodded in agreement as did Aruk. This was not good. Darth Mortis was the head of the Sphere of Law and Justice and the unofficial leader of the Dark Council. He held the most influence besides Darth Marr. 

“My lord the area of space Darth Marr was in bordered just on the wild regions, too far for a Republic ship let alone a fleet to pass through Imperial territory unnoticed,” Lana explained. 

“It's possible. Considering Intelligence has missed major discrepancies before,” Ravage sneered. Lana almost flinched at Ravage's implication. 

“No one could have predicted what happened on Ziost Ravage. Not even you,” Massaia interceded. 

“That doesn't excuse incompetence,” Ravage argued back. “This is twice now Intelligence has failed the Dark Council. More specifically Minister Beniko.” 

“Without Minister Beniko's quick action on Ziost many more people would have died.” Massaia was now glaring at Ravage, her fingers tapping against the armrest of her chair in agitation. Lana could swear she saw sparks. 

“As entertaining as this squabble is we are not here to discuss the Ziost incident,” Darth Mortis reminded the two dryly. “Minister Beniko do you have anything else to say?” 

Lana eyed the surrounding Council members. Mortis, Ravage, and Aruk were against her that much was clear. Darth Zhorrid would most likely side with Mortis and Ravage. Vowrawn wouldn't speak out against her, but he would not vouch for her either. Darth Acina appeared neutral on the topic as she was on most issues. Massaia was her only defender and being the youngest member of the Dark Council meant she had the least amount of clout among the gathered Sith. She had to play her cards carefully and explain what she felt had happened to Darth Marr's fleet. She took a breath. “A few weeks ago several outposts were attacked and decimated by an unknown force. No survivors, no evidence, no witnesses to the attack. These attacks happened on the edges of Sith territory that bordered Wild space.”

“We all know this. What is your point Minister?” Ravage interrupted. 

“I'm getting there my lord,” Lana continued. “Intelligence gathered information on each of these attacks. They appeared random and uncoordinated. However, closer inspection revealed patterns and a purpose to these attacks. The outpost attacks were reconnaissance attacks. Small controlled skirmishes meant to test our strength and probe our defenses. Debris from those attacks matches the same debris found at Darth Marr's destroyed fleet. Someone or something has the means to destroy an entire fleet and possibly more if we ignore them.” 

Nobody spoke. Lana could see her theory was resonating with some of the members, but most looked incredulous. Darth Mortis was the first to speak. “An interesting theory, but do you have any more evidence to back this up beside scorched debris?”

“No but with time-.”

“Minister we are at near war with the Republic. We frankly do not have the time nor the resources to go cavorting around in Wild space to chase imaginary phantom fleets from unknown regions,” Darth Mortis said. 

“My lord an entire fleet was destroyed. You cannot just ignore this threat or call it imaginary,” Lana disagreed. 

“Do not forget your place, Minister. You speak to a member of the Dark Council,” Aruk warned the room's temperature suddenly dropping. 

Lana ignored the Sith. “Darth Marr believed he had found the Emperor out in Wild space where he was attacked. Are you going to ignore that threat as well or believe it to be another figment of imagination?”

“Enough Minister!” Darth Mortis snarled as a tremor of anger at being challenged rolled through his body. “Darth Marr is dead. The former Emperor is dead and if you do not watch your words you will join them.” 

Lana's hands balled up into fists and she instinctively went to reach for her saber before remembering it was in the care of the Dark Councils guards. She could feel Darth Mortis's power swell around her, filling her lungs attempting to suffocate her. She threw up a defensive shield dispelling the power. Darth Mortis's molten eyes bore into hers, but Lana refused to look away and cower before him.

“Perhaps we should reconvene when more information becomes available about this attack instead of jumping to conclusions,” Darth Acina suggested breaking the heated exchange between the two Sith.

Darth Mortis settled back in his chair. “Very well. Minister Beniko I am temporarily relieving you of duties as Minister and placing you as the head of a task force to continue investigating these...mysterious attacks. Darth Zhorrid do you have any replacements for Minister of Intelligence?” 

“A few,” Zhorrid replied. Lana felt anger burn deep within her. They were pushing her out. Instead of being killed she'll just be sequestered and monitored nonstop. Any information she digs up will be reported directly to them, all of her actions will be questioned. She was essentially under their thumb. 

“If nothing else then this session is convened,” Darth Mortis concluded motioning for Lana to leave. Lana gave a slight stiff bow then turned and stalked out of the chambers. A violent ripple through the Force swept through Lana. At first, she thought it was one of the Council members attempting to finish her off while her back was turned, but when she glanced back she saw the surprised looks on all the Council members faces. The tremor drifted off and the Council members all turned to look at Darth Marr's vacant seat. Darth Marr was dead and now Lana was truly alone. 

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Four months had passed since Lana's demotion and Marr's demise. Within that time she had thrown herself into her work, searching tirelessly to uncover any more information about the strange attack on Marr's fleet. Information was difficult to come by as Lana's replacement made it unreasonably hard to accomplish anything. The new Minister of Sith Intelligence was middle-aged Sith Pureblood, former apprentice to Darth Ravage and an utter lackey. The only reason for his position was to report the goings-on happening at Intelligence and to impede her investigations. It irritated Lana to no end. Anytime she suggested a scout team be sent out to review the unknown region's borders it was denied on grounds that it was an imprudent waste of resources. The mysterious forces that had attacked the outposts and Marr's fleet hadn't resurfaced since the destruction of Darth Marr. The few recon teams that had been sent out had their information confiscated on return and kept locked far away from Lana's eyes.

Massaia had tried to pull some strings to help, but there was little she could do. Even her brother Bensynn, the former Wrath of the Emperor, couldn't do much. His attention and time were constantly drawn back to the mounting war with the Republic. Lana had also tried reaching out to her contacts within the Republic only learning that Havoc squad, minus Major Creed, had made it back from the attack. Besides that, Lana knew very little. The Republic had held a funeral for its fallen hero, awarding Caydenn the posthumous rank of Colonel. Lana had ignored the ceremony. Caydenn was alive. Lana could still feel her presence on occasion. It flickered like a dim far away light in the darkness. Lana would find her soldier and bring her back and discover who was responsible for Marr's death. Which was why she was currently sitting alone at a corner table in one of the smaller bars located on Vaiken space station. Her yellow eyes roamed back and forth through the crowds of passing people trying to pick out her contact. He said he would be here.

A tall well muscled Rattataki slipped from the crowd and approached her. His skin was a chalky white with grayish blue tattoos lining his face. Pale blue eyes darted around the room, analyzing people, droids, and routes. A deep scar ran from the corner of his right lip down his jaw to where it connected to another thick scar that cut across the skin of his neck. He sat down across from her. 

“Beniko,” he greeted blandly. 

“Cipher Nine,” Lana murmured back. Even though Lana had been the Minister of Sith Intelligence she had never truly worked extensively with the infamous Cipher agent. Cipher Nine was an elusive anomaly within the Intelligence community. He came and went as he pleased and seemed to answer to no one. When she had been Minister Lana had overseen his activities and even used his expertise on a few missions, but she had never really understood his place within Sith Intelligence. She had heard stories of his days as a ruthless assassin and enforcer during his stint with Imperial Intelligence and had even been able to access his old file, much of which had been corrupted or just simply erased. As of late, the agent appeared to be working towards his own goals whatever those may be. Still, he was an exceptional agent with the skills and resources she needed. 

“Your message was vague Sith. What do you want?” Cipher asked rubbing his forefinger over his scarred jaw. 

Lana ignored his blunt rudeness. She knew from personal experience that Cipher Nine hated the Sith as much as he hated the Jedi. The rogue agent seemed to despise everything. Truth be told Lana wasn't sure if the Rattataki cared about anything or anyone for that matter. “I need information.” 

“Doesn't everybody,” Cipher Nine retorted crossing his arms. 

Lana raised a finger. “Very specific information I can't access without raising alarms, but you just might.” The agent tried to appear nonchalant, but his brows raised ever so slightly in intrigue. Lana continued. “Four months ago Darth Marr's fleet was destroyed by an unknown force. Since then several recon teams have been sent out to investigate the wreckage and other outposts that have been destroyed by this same unknown force. However, the information these teams have gathered has been sealed away and I don't have the clearance codes to access it.” 

“And you think I do. Hate to break it to you Beniko, but if you can't access those codes as a Sith then there's no way I will be able to access them,” Cipher Nine pointed out. 

“I don't need you to access them I only need you to implant a remote data spike into an access terminal. From there I can slice into the network and download the files I need,” Lana finished. 

“And why do you need me to implant this spike. Can't you get one of your lackeys to do it? Or better yet do it yourself?” asked the agent as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He tapped the bottom of the back against his opposite hand and withdrew a cigarette, fishing a lighter from a different pocket. Lana stared at the box of cigarettes in the agent's hand. It was the same brand that Caydenn had sometimes smoked. Cipher Nine took notice of her look and shrugged. “We all have our vices Sith.” 

Lana shook her head. “If I go anywhere those terminals security is put on high alert to monitor my activity. I could never successfully implant the spike. Also, I don't trust anyone working under me to complete this task.” 

“But you trust me?” The Cipher agent exhaled a breath of smoke. 

Lana waved the offending smoke away. “Out of necessity. I know you won't go running to the Dark Council. Plus you're an Intelligence commander. Fewer people will question you.” 

“As soon as I plant that spike and those files are accessed Intelligence will put two and two together and figure out what you're doing. What then? The Council will have your head for disobeying them.”

“I'll be gone by then,” Lana said cryptically. 

“Care to elaborate?” The Rattataki pressed. 

“The Dark Council is trying to cover up what happened to Darth Marr's fleet. They claim it was destroyed by some stealth Republic fleet, but the Republic nor the Empire for that matter doesn't have the technology to hide a fleet big enough to completely destroy Marr's fleet. The information the recon teams gathered will give me a start to where I can begin looking for evidence of this unknown force. Without hard proof of this threat's existence the Dark Council will continue to ignore it,” Lana revealed. She hadn't told anyone of her plans to explore the Unknown regions by herself. What she was suggesting was technically desertion and was grounds for execution if she was discovered. 

“I had heard rumors of what had happened to Marr's fleet. Why is the Dark Council turning a blind eye to this?”

Lana shrugged. “Honestly, they can't afford not to I suppose. The Council is constantly being pressured into open warfare with the Republic and can't spare the resources to investigate a claim they deem a minor incident. If Darth Marr's fleet was destroyed by an unknown extragalactic force then it means the Council would have to divert resources and manpower to defend against that threat and fight a possible two-front war. Frankly, the Empire just doesn't have the power to do that. It's easier to claim the problem stems from the Republic and continue railing against them. I assume the Republic is doing the same thing.”

Cipher Nine was quiet for a few beats, taking long drags from his cigarette and eyeing her carefully. “There's more to it than that.” 

Lana blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You're looking for something else out there. Or perhaps someone?” 

Lana shook her head. “My reasons are my own. I go because the Empire may be in danger.”

Cipher Nine snorted. “Right sure. Listen Sith you may be onto something or you may just be chasing shadows where there are none. Either way, why should I stick my neck out for you? When they trace that data spike back to you they'll eventually track it back to me as well.”

Lana stared the Cipher agent down. She had assumed he would take this stance and to be honest Lana couldn't blame him for being cautious. However too much was at stake to not get this information. The Empire's safety and Caydenn's life hung precariously in the balance. Lana did not like to stoop to low levels like blackmail or coercion, but in this case, she was willing to make an exception. 

“It would be in your best interest to help me Ashkellal,” Lana said quietly. The Rattataki's eyes narrowed to slits and his hands clenched into tight fists on the tabletop. 

“What did you just say?” he asked lowly, a dangerous undertone coloring his words making him sound guttural. 

“I know more about you than just your name Ashkellal. Things Sith Intelligence doesn't know and you don't want them to find out,” Lana continued. Cipher Nine's name and past had been mysteriously removed from all official Imperial and Intelligence records. The man sitting across from her was practically a ghost. He had no past, no name, no life only the one Intelligence deemed fit to give him. Except for the one personal file Lana had found left over from her predecessor before Imperial Intelligence had been disbanded. The file had only contained a name, but it was enough for Lana to start digging into the mysterious Cipher Nine's past. Ashkellal glared at her from across the table, the cigarette clenched in his teeth. She could feel the roiling fury and cold hatred flowing off of him in waves. His hand moved upwards and Lana caught the glint of metal from beneath his trench coat. The handle of a pistol. Lana's own hand moved to her lightsaber. 

Then he chuckled. A deep rumble starting low in the man's chest as he bypassed his blaster and instead pulled the spent cigarette from between his lips and snuffed it out. “You play a dangerous game Sith.”

Lana removed her hand from her sabers hilt but didn't relax. “Tricks of the trade.”

Ashkellal nodded in agreement. “Alright Sith you got me. I'll help you out.” 

“Thank you,” Lana said. 

Ashkellal stood and glanced down at her. “Don't thank me Sith. I'm not doing this out of the goodness of my heart.”

She slid the data spike over to him. “Plant the spike tomorrow at 0600. I'll be waiting.”

The Cipher agent said nothing, just scooped up the data spike and disappeared into the masses once again. 

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Lana tapped her fingers idly against her datapad. It was drawing near to 0600 on her wrist chrono and she was anxious to retrieve her information from the Intelligence database then leave Dromund Kass behind to begin her search. She glanced out the window beside her desk and watched the rain lash the city below her. Citizens scurried about, ducking in and out of shops to avoid the torrent. She smiled at the familiar sight. While many other beings would have felt put off by the constant storms that bombarded the planet Lana loved them. Having been born and raised on Dromund Kass had taught her to appreciate the cleansing smells the rains brought and the comforting noise of rolling thunder. This was her home. And soon she would be leaving it behind for an unforeseeable amount of time to chase after....what? What was she truly hoping to find out in wild space? An unseen threat to the Empire? If Lana was being completely honest with herself her reasons were probably a tad bit more selfish than that of just protecting the Empire. Like Cipher Nine had insinuated the night before there were other reasons she was leaving. Well, one other reason. 

Lana sighed and leaned back in her chair. Was she really willing to throw everything away on a vague feeling that Caydenn was possibly alive? What if she never found the soldier or the mysterious fleet? She could wonder wild space for eternity and find only emptiness. It would be more practical to call off her crazy idea and instead stay in Kaas City and serve Intelligence. But then where would that leave her? Under the crushing scrutiny of the Dark Council, always wondering what had happened to her ex-lover, and living with a mounting sense of foreboding dread. Even if Caydenn was dead, which Lana refused to accept, there was something out there that meant harm unto the galaxy. She sensed it, just as she had with the threat of Revan, like a slowly growing cancer threatening to encroach and consume the Empire and Republic. A soft beep interrupted her inner musings. Lana glanced down and saw a single message indicating the spike was in place. So Cipher Nine had delivered. 

Lana powered on her own console and injected a similar spike. She sliced through the security mainframes with ease thanks to the spikes and Theron's training. She vaguely wondered how the SIS agent was doing. Was he hunting down leads as to what had happened to Caydenn and Marr as she was? The files she was looking for were under several layers of security and safeguarded by alarm firewalls. As soon as she downloaded the files an alert would be sent out locking everyone out of the system. Intelligence slicers would then begin backlogging through the databases looking for the culprit. By the time they found out it was her Lana would be gone. She hesitated. There was no going back after doing this. She would be on her own and hunted down. A possible enemy of the Empire forever. A warmth wrapped around her like a comforting embrace and Lana recognized the presence at once. Caydenn. Caydenn needed her. The Empire needed her to root out this unseen foe. She downloaded the files. It took only a few seconds to complete and then Lana withdrew the spike and powered down her console. 

She stood and swept out of her office not even turning to look at it as she left. The ride to the spaceport was short and quiet. The rain was still hammering the ground as she stepped out of the taxi speeder and paid her fare. She moved through the spaceport quickly not wishing to draw attention to herself. She slipped past the main hangers and entered a small service hanger that was usually used for service vessels, but Lana had procured it recently to hide her own personal ship in. The starship was a skiff class ship outfitted with twin ion hyperdrive engines. It was small, truly only meant for a crew of three at the most and an ashen gray color with no markings to identify it. Lana boarded the small vessel, walking through the compact cabin to the cockpit and settling into one of the two pilot chairs. She engaged the engines and checked the shield energy readings. Lana had bought the small starship a few months ago after the Ziost incident. It was unregistered and personally modified to her specific requirements. 

The ship eased out of the hanger and rocketed off into the sky gaining altitude quickly. Lana sighed and engaged the autopilot before snagging her datapad. She had brought nothing with her to the spaceport except her lightsaber and a personal datapad. Instead, she had prestocked the ship with whatever necessities she deemed important and left the rest of her belongings back in her apartment in Kaas City. It was easier to travel light. She plugged the spike into her datapad and opened up the restricted documents. Most were reports she had already seen, but some were new and fairly recent accounts of attacks on military outposts in the outlying regions. Whole military installations had been leveled by the same force that had destroyed Darth Marr's fleet. Evidence of similar debris and scorch patterns had been found at all the sites. Lana was surprised the Dark Council had gone to such lengths to cover these attacks up; so much so that Lana hadn't even been aware that they were still occurring. 

As Lana's ship eased into the upper atmosphere of Dromund Kass she looked out the viewport to the swirling clouds that covered the planet's surface. Her fingers brushed the reinforced plexiglass as her home shrank behind her. There was no going back. The reports on her datapad indicated that something was out there. Something that meant untold harm to the rest of the galaxy. To her home. Could it possibly be the Sith Empire former Emperor or something far more insidious? Either way, she had to find out what. She needed a force; someone to stop the impending danger. Someone who could put the galaxy back together before it fell apart. She needed Caydenn Creed.

'No,' Lana thought as she shook her head and punched in coordinates to jump to hyperspace. 'The galaxy needs Caydenn Creed.'


	3. Chapter 1.2: End Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arcann sets his sights on crushing the Jedi on Tython and encounters an unexpected foe.

Arcann strode through the smoking landscape of the Jedi Temple grounds. The air was humid with an acrid tang from the mortars that had been launched. Off in the far distance, the sounds of blaster fire echoed through the landscape. The Eternal Fleet had successfully blockaded the planet Tython at the end of a year-long war since the Outlander had killed his father and had begun bombarding the surface to thin out the resistance numbers that were still fighting Zakuul's ground forces. The Jedi were unwilling to give up their planet without a fight despite their beliefs on peace and diplomacy. They were almost as hard to route as the Sith. As Arcann climbed the steps to the main building of the Temple his Knights flanked him on either side. 

“Emperor we have successfully taken much of the surface, but the opposition still holds a sizable portion of the main temple. They have shored up their defenses, but we are breaking through. Several small light freighters were able to break through the blockade, but-.” The Knight paused in his report when Arcann held up his hand. 

“How were several ships able to avoid our sensor technology?” Arcann asked pausing at his line of Knights who stood outside the barricaded temple door. 

“There was a concise attack on our main command platform. We had to recall some of the ships to aid in fending off the attacks and destroy their ground to air batteries,” the Knight explained. “The fighting has subsided since then and much of the opposition was destroyed when we bombarded the area. What remains of the enemy has barricaded themselves inside the main Temple or fled into the surrounding wilderness.” 

“Find those ships. Track them down,” Arcann ordered. He stared up at the massive solid doors that barred his entrance. What could have been so important on those ships that forced these Jedi to pursue a suicidal attack on a heavily fortified command platform? He inhaled deeply, the air whistling through the filters on his mask. He could sense the presence of other lifeforms inside the building. The Force swirled around him. He could sense the remnants of peace and discipline now tainted with the feelings of fear and despair over the deaths of all who had been killed in the fighting. 

“Fall in behind me.” The Knights moved aside and crouched behind Arcann. They raised and interlocked their shields with their pikes inter-spaced over their shields creating an impenetrable wall. Arcann gathered the Force around him. The air felt pressurized, thrumming with potential energy. Arcann raised his right arm the energy gravitating towards his outstretched palm. He focused the energy, holding it, feeling the pressure increase before he hurled it towards the locked doors. They blasted backward, ripped from their hinges and propelled into the atrium with a loud crash. Arcann wasted no time drawing his lightsaber and charging forward into the temple. 

A blue blade curved through the air aimed at his torso. Arcann turned his blade lengthwise, using a double-handed grip to bat the weapon out of the air. His Knights were at his back pushing forward, engaging the Jedi who leaped from the shadows. The clash of lightsabers echoed about the room. Arcann charged forward cutting down a man who stepped in front of him. Another hooded Jedi hurled a large chunk of the broken doors at him from across the atrium. Arcann slid under the flying debris and used the Force to push himself forward across the room to his attacker who raised his purple blade. 

'Too slow,' Arcann thought as he parried the strike and then surged forward to bury his yellow blade into the Jedi's chest, the smell of burnt flesh wafting up. The Jedi jerked and gave a breathless cry as he crumbled to the ground. Around him, the hiss and clash of saber clashing with saber echoed throughout the damaged temple. The Jedi fought with a ferocity that rivaled their Sith counterparts, but they were injured, hungry, and outnumbered. The battle would be over soon. A sudden powerful energy wave knocked Arcann and several of his Knights back. The Knights were thrown into the opposite wall, but Arcann managed to land on his feet. He looked in the direction the blast had originated from and saw a young woman probably no older than his younger sister fighting against several of his Knights. She was of slight stature with deep black hair that was cropped close to her gently sloping jaw. Her skin was a startling shade of green inter-laid with darker diamond-shaped tattoos. Her dark brown robes were torn and stained with dried blood and dirt.

The Jedi spun her double-bladed green saber to block a Knights downwards strike and then slipped into a crouch and spun her blade, cutting off the legs of her attacker. As she rose into a defensive position she arched her hand and snagged a large chunk of the door Arcann had destroyed and hurled it at two other Knights, flattening them beneath the debris. Arcann leaped forward and swung his blade lengthwise at the Jedi girl. She ducked under his blow and twisted her body to the side in order to bring her blade up to halt his advance. 

She pressed her offensive by executing quick turns and twists of her lightsaber while Arcann blocked the fast blows. Arcann planted his left foot and then pivoted sharply landing a sharp kick to the Jedi's midsection. She stumbled back a step and Arcann surged forward with a flurry of fast strikes and jabs meant to further unbalance his opponent, but instead, she nimbly flipped backward out of his range. Arcann was impressed by her resilience. Few beings had ever stood against his martial prowess as a swordsman. 

“You cannot win,” Arcann growled as he lashed out with his mechanical left hand trying to snag the Jedi's robes. She dodged and swung her green blade up to slash across his face but Arcann blocked the blow. Their blades locked together, spitting sparks and whining. Being this close to her Arcann could see the dark bruises that littered her face and mottled her green skin. How her deep green eyes shone with a fierce determination that matched his own. 

“I don't have to win,” the Jedi revealed as they broke apart. 

“Your ships that got away will be found.” Arcann jabbed swiftly forward looking for holes in his opponent's defenses. She blocked the strikes and sent a wave of Force energy his way. Arcann gathered the Force around him to dispel the energy wave. They fought back and forth across the atrium neither giving an inch. Arcann could see that he was not going to be able to overwhelm her through combat. He focused the Force in his right arm, sparks sprouting from his hand as he let loose a massive blast of white lightning. The Jedi raised her hand to disrupt the arcing flow of the electricity, but Arcann threw his blade at her midsection breaking the Jedi's concentrations as she blocked the incoming blade. Lightning flew from Arcann's fingertips again and this time the Jedi took the full brunt of the attack and was thrown off her feet. Her body landed in a smoking heap and lay still. 

The Emperor turned away and surveyed what was left of the fighting. Arcann's Knights had subdued many of the Jedi who were still left alive. Arcann signaled for his Knight's to bring the prisoners forward. The Knights pushed the Jedi into a group before their Emperor and he stared down at them balefully. He had no need for prisoners. 

“Knights,” Arcann ordered raising his hand. Their pikes ignited, blue blades casting an almost sinister shadow over the faces of the captives as Arcann's Knights raised their weapons simultaneously. 

“Stop!” Arcann turned to see the Jedi girl on her feet arm cradling her injured midsection while her legs trembled furiously beneath her. He was surprised she was alive let alone able to stand after his savage attack. “Please, they're unarmed.” Two Knights sprung forward. They knocked her weapon from her grasp and dragged her forward before their Emperor. 

“Unarmed or not you are enemies of the Eternal Empire,” Arcann said.

“Beaten enemies,” the girl argued. “They are no threat to you.”

“Convince me not to kill them. Tell me what was on those ships that drove you to attack a command platform?” inquired Arcann. The Jedi stared back at him mutely. “I don't have time for your games. Knights!” The pikes menaced the captives. 

“Younglings!,” She blurted out. “Our teachings and those who will carry on the Order.”

“You would risk your lives...for children?” Arcann couldn't believe this Order of warriors would sacrifice themselves for the weakest among them. On Zakuul even children trained to be Knight's and soldiers were expected to give their lives for the Eternal Throne. It didn't matter. Arcann would send a section of his fleet out to hunt down those who had escaped the blockade.

“They're not just children. They are the future of the Jedi,” spoke a captive with feline features and a rough voice. His left eye was swollen shut and he could barely stand, but he still glared impudently at Arcann.

“It doesn't matter. They will be found, your fight is in vain. No one can escape the fleet,” Arcann said turning to signal his Knights again. 

“Wait! I told you what you wanted. Now please spare them,” the girl pleaded. 

“I have no need for captives,” Arcann intoned callously. “And there is nothing more you can give me.” The Jedi were forced to their knees roughly with one Knight behind each prisoner. They raised their pikes simultaneously and awaited their Emperors command. 

The Jedi girl surged forward before Arcann could give the order. “I am Kaihlenn Amnell, Barsen'thor of the Jedi Order, Warden of the Force. Take me instead.” 

Arcann regarded the injured girl critically. He had heard stories about the Barsen'thor. How one Jedi held the secrets of the Force and the strength to fell an army. He had discounted these tales as rumors and now meeting this famed Warden of the Force had confirmed his suspicions that the stories told were out of grandiose disproportion. This Barsen'thor- no girl was nothing. Still having such a prominent figure as a prisoner would further break the resolve of the Jedi and Republic alike. But not before he broke her. “Beg for their lives.”

“What?” Kaihlenn appeared caught off guard. 

“Beg for their lives Barsen'thor,” Arcann repeated darkly. He towered over her gathering the Force around him, subtly pressurizing the atmosphere around her. The Jedi took a deep breath and looked up at him meeting his cruel gaze. If she had been scared she gave no indication that she was and for a brief moment, Arcann was impressed by her resilience. 

“Please spare them-.”

“Is it not appropriate to kneel when addressing your betters,” Arcann interrupted her. Kaihlenn didn't respond. “Well, Jedi?” Arcann spread his hands wide. He wondered if she would debase herself as much as to grovel on bent knees before him. 

“Don't Kaihlenn. Don't give this schutta the satisfaction,” one of the Jedi called out. A muffled crack was heard as a Knight silenced the insolent fool. 

“I don't have all day Barsen'thor,” Arcann said knowing that this girl would not humiliate herself by begging on her knees. If she had any pride as a warrior that is, but it seemed Arcann was to be proven wrong. The Jedi dropped to one knee then slowly slid her other leg down and leaned forward with her head bowed slightly palms pressed against the floor.

“Don't kill them. You have won and they are unarmed. I beg you to please spare them,” Kaihlenn implored. She remained prostrate and Arcann regarded her coldly. It was silent, the only noise was of the wind softly whistling through the broken doors into the main hall.

“Pathetic,” Arcann spat and then brought his clenched fist up. There was a violent hiss as the blades of his Knight's pikes cut through the unguarded flesh of necks. Dull thumps echoed throughout the atrium as the heads and bodies of the Jedi prisoners dropped separately to the ground. 

“NO!” the Jedi cried rushing forward to her feet her hands coming to grip his mechanical arm. “Monster!” 

The word snapped against Arcann like a physical blow. The name hearkening back to when his father had called him a monster, a mindless animal before having his personal guards set upon him with fists and harsh blows. Rage flashed through the young Emperor. Arcann ripped his arm away and wrapped his free hand around the girl's throat with bruising force. He squeezed savagely watching her green eyes widen, but her gaze remains steady. “Don't touch me,” he growled harshly, throwing the Jedi roughly to the ground. 

She landed in a heap and quietly gasped for air. Arcann could see the print his hand had made around her delicate throat, bruises starting to darken around the edges. Knights grabbed her arms and wrenched them behind her back, dragging her into a kneeling position. Another Knight approached with his pike ignited. Arcann waved him off. 

“My Emperor?” the Knight questioned. 

“This Jedi is too valuable to kill. She is of notable position in the Republic and I may have a use for her later on,” Arcann replied. The Knights cuffed her hands and hauled her to her feet. She stared him down, green eyes alight with righteous anger, jaw clenched. Arcann returned the gaze.

“This isn't over,” the Jedi swore. Arcann raised his brow. So the girl still had fight left in her. He let his eyes sweep over her injured body swiftly and idly realized that beneath the blood and grime was a beautiful woman with a resolve as strong as durasteel. Not that it mattered as far as Arcann was concerned.

He ignored her words and instead addressed his Knights. “Take the Barsen'thor and any others you find and transport them to the prison camps on Hast. Those too injured or weak execute them. Scour the rest of the Temple for enemy combatants.” Arcann turned and left the damaged atrium of the Jedi Temple. Dusk was beginning fall, setting the sky ablaze with deep pinks and purples that faded into dark ebony blues. Fires burned bright around the courtyard of the Temple as his troops moved through the rubble and dead bodies. The blaster and mortar explosions had ceased indicating that either the enemy was dead or had retreated further into the wilderness. For once it was quiet. 

Arcann closed his eyes briefly and breathed deeply the air filtering through his mask. The Jedi were defeated and Arcann was one step closer to bringing the galaxy under the rule of the Eternal Empire. If his father could see him now. Flashing green eyes interrupted his thoughts and Arcann shook his head to clear his mind. A beep sounded from his wrist commlink and Arcann scowled at the offending device before tapping the receive button. A small blue grainy image of a fleet officer appeared before him. She gave a respectful bow. “What is it?”

“Emperor Arcann, High Justice Vaylin has reports of how the war fairs on Korriban and wishes to speak with you,” the officer divulged. While Arcann dealt with the Jedi he had sent his younger sister Vaylin against the Sith who had set up formidable defenses on their home planet of Korriban. His sister's savagery and merciless power was a force to be reckoned with; one that would break the Sith defenses, which is why Arcann had sent her to deal with the other faction. 

“Send all pertinent information to my flagship and tell the High Justice I will contact her when I am aboard,” Arcann ordered. The officer nodded, gave another bow, then vanished as Arcann cut the connection. He signaled one of his Knights to retrieve his personal shuttle and then turned to survey the ruined world of Tython one final time.


	4. Chapter 1.3: A Cut of Bone and Flesh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vaylin and Arcann lead a brutal attack to finally quell the Sith on Korriban and Vaylin locks blades with a powerful new foe.

Vaylin breathed deeply. The hot swirling wind around her was choked with smoke and red sand. The High Justice leaned back against a stack of ammunition crates that was situated near the edge of the forward commands base camp. Soldiers and Knights alike gave the strange young woman a wide berth and avoided bothering the High Justice unless to give her updates on the progress of the ongoing battle taking place at the Sith Academy. As it should be. Vaylin hated being pestered with mundane details. Instead, she preferred to split her time cutting down the enemy and basking in the strangely invigorating presence of the Force that permeated every square inch of this foreign planet. The Dark Side some of the warriors she had battled had called it. Vaylin was familiar with the term but never had she experienced it in such intensity. It bolstered her and awakened emotions Vaylin had long since repressed. 

Vaylin shifted her balance and let her hood slip from her head, turning her face to the harsh glare of the sun that beat down. It felt invigorating as the natural light warmed Vaylin's skin. On Zakuul much of the land was shadowed by the thick foliage that covered the swamps of the planet, and the massive city spires generated their own artificial sunlight due to the lack of it from the thick clouds that covered the atmosphere. This planet, no matter how ghastly she had heard some of the other Knights whisper about it, enthralled Vaylin. It was the first planet she had been to that wasn't Zakuul or... Vaylin shook her head. She sensed a presence behind her but didn't turn to acknowledge it. 

“High Justice Vaylin, Emperor Arcann has arrived,” a Knight nervously reported. He stood a few feet away from her, back straight and eyes forward. 

“Has he now,” Vaylin mused languidly stretching. 

“His fleet has just entered the planet's atmosphere. His shuttle should reach the base camp shortly.” 

“Well I suppose I shouldn't keep our Emperor waiting,” Vaylin surmised as she tugged her hood back up and brushed past the Knight. Her brother would expect her to be waiting for him when his ship landed. Vaylin had been on Korriban for a little over a month, battling the Sith and what was left of the Imperial military for control of the planet. While much of the planet had been subjugated there were still pockets of resistance that Vaylin could not snuff out. It was maddening. Vaylin was a capable warrior and prodigy of the Force. She had never come up against an enemy she could not beat. But here she had been forced to change her usual tactics. While she tended to hunt alone and preferred to confront her enemies on her own; here on Korriban, Vaylin had been forced to rely on the handful of ships and garrisons her brother had relinquished to her control. The enemy here was too numerous for Vaylin to take on by herself. And while she had gained control of much of the surface she had also lost many of her troops and half of her ships in blockading the planet. A substantial force still protected the Sith Academy and the Wildlands that surrounded it. Vaylin was no fool. She knew she didn't have enough resources or power to take the Academy and thus she was forced to call upon her brother. 

Arcann was reluctant to send any more ships for Vaylin's disposal and instead opted to come himself. Vaylin knew it was because he didn't trust her. Arcann had limited Vaylin's involvement with military matters in order to limit her control of the fleet. The Korriban incursion had been the first time he had freely given her ships and troops to work with, but he still kept a close eye on her, wary of her growing power and if she would challenge his authority. Vaylin internally rolled her eyes and headed for the main tent in the center of the camp. Let her brother worry about his silly chair and commanding the fleet. All she wanted was the freedom to do as she pleased. To test her limits and experience what she had been deprived of for many long years as a child. Vaylin wanted nothing to do with the throne. Not that she would tell Arcann that. It amused her to see him so tense and to prod at his paranoia. 

As she entered the tent Vaylin took a seat in one of the chairs that were scattered around the command console. The guards at the entrance saluted and Vaylin gave a vague nod. She leaned an arm against the back of the chair and inspected her nails idly. Specks of dirt and red sand were caught beneath the cuticles and Vaylin absently passed her thumb over the nails to brush the offending debris away. The sand was coarse and foreign to Vaylin's skin. Movement at entrance caused the guards to stiffen and salute again. Vaylin didn't even look up from her nails instead finding more interest in the red particles littering her hands. Her brother's presence washed over like a blazing fire though. He was tall and imposing and powerful for everyone around him. Everyone but Vaylin. He strode up to her and punched in a few commands on the console bringing up a holographic display of the battlefields surrounding the Sith Academy. He observed the battle for a few moments.

“Your forces are spread too thin,” Arcann criticized, foregoing any pleasantries and instead indicating on the holomap where the problems were.

“My forces are spread thin because I have no other forces to spare to assault the Academy,” Vaylin pointed out. “They were used in taking the planet. Perhaps if you had given me more to work with then this wouldn't be an issue right now.” 

Arcann didn't bother to reply. Instead, he turned to one of his personal guards. “Contact my ships and order them to move into position near the Academy. Order Legions 1148, 1283, and 1656 to the front lines. Take a squadron of my Knights and a contingent of Skytroopers to shore up our defenses.”

“As you wish,” the Knight said before leaving. Arcann then turned to Vaylin.

“I'll leave you a Legion of Skytroopers and a squadron of Knights for your disposal while I take another contingent and attack. We'll rush them from all sides.”

“Keep your Knights and Skytroopers Arcann. If you really want to defeat the Sith you have to match their power,” Vaylin said moving to stand beside him at the command console. 

Arcann stared down at her. “Explain.” 

“The Sith are brutal. They favor overwhelming offensives than duck and run tactics. They are also well protected. The surrounding terrain is filled with minefields and anti-aircraft turrets and mortars. The Academy itself is ray shielded from incoming attacks. Spreading our forces for a three-pronged attack will never break their lines. Instead, they'll be cut to pieces. The only way through is to overwhelm them and cause their front line to fold. Use the Skytroopers to detonate the minefields and take out the mortars. Then take the bulk of the army and engage them head-on,” Vaylin laid out rearranging the battlefield holomap to show her plan. 

Arcann stared at her skeptically. “What you suggest is a risky plan. We could lose half of our forces.”

Vaylin shrugged. “Either plan is risky, but my plan gives a better chance at success.”

Arcann was silent for a few moments, reviewing both options. “I will defer to your judgment this time sister. Will you be joining me on the front lines?”

Vaylin shook her head and tapped a switch to bring up a massive steep cliff that bordered the Sith Academy. “While you draw the main forces of the Sith away from the Academy I'll find the shield generator and destroy it. Then you can bombard the remaining forces with the Eternal Fleet.” 

“And you will do this by yourself?” Arcann questioned warily. She saw the worry flash through his eye. Concern; something Vaylin hadn't seen from him since Thexan died. 

Vaylin nodded. “Unless you think there is someone else more suited.” There was nobody else. Yes, their forces and Knights were strong, but none could compete with her burgeoning power. Arcann knew that too, but Vaylin decided to press him. 

He was silent for a few moments as if mulling over his options then turned to leave. “My forces will attack tomorrow at dusk. Be ready by then.” 

Vaylin didn't respond back. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon when the blasts started. Explosions rocked the surrounding landscape and the sound of blaster fire could be heard echoing off the cliff face from which Vaylin stood. She reclined idly against a sun-bleached rock and watched the flickers of light and fire flash about the land. Arcann had committed to her plan. Whole platoons of Skytroopers marched through minefields detonating the explosives that lay beneath the surface while Knights followed in their wake, pressing forward to engage the Sith. From her perch high above the valley, Vaylin could watch the Imperial forces swarming to repel her brother's forces. A soft groan behind her drew her attention to the several bodies littered over the rocks. She had encountered a small patrol, one of several, she had dispatched along the way up the cliff. Her brother was creating enough of a distraction that no one would notice if a few patrols didn't check in. By the time they did the battle would most likely be over. 

Vaylin stood and picked her way across the boulders, nudging one body with her foot and getting no response. The next two corpses were missing their heads and the third was neatly cleaved in two. The patrol had consisted of seven armed soldiers, none Force-sensitive. Picking them off had been a simple task. Vaylin approached a man who lay on his back. A long gash from her saber had split his belly open, revealing charred soft tissue and little bits of blackened organ matter. At the time when she had engaged the patrol Vaylin had thrown her lightsaber at him and had thought it was a killing blow. The cut was a few centimeters short of being fatal. Still, if he was left here without any immediate medical attention the soldier would succumb to his injuries shortly. Vaylin prodded his injured side with her foot. He gurgled pitifully, hands raised slightly, grasping at the thin air in desperation. Vaylin ignored his feeble attempts and instead made a sharp twisting motion with her hand snapping the man's neck. She couldn't afford to leave survivors who could raise the alarm of her approach. Satisfied the other soldiers were dead she set off to the steep cliff side. Much of the rock face was a sheer drop to the valley hundreds of meters below. Luckily for Vaylin, the patrol she had killed had been guarding a small decrepit lift that would lead down to the valley floor. 

Vaylin assumed not many people knew about the lift which was why it was so woefully under-protected. Truth be told Vaylin would have never have found it if she hadn't of sensed the patrol nearby. Instead, she had been prepared to scale down the cliff manually. This, however, would be much easier. She punched in the instruction for the lift to descend and boarded the rickety platform. While the lift began to lower with a jerky shake Vaylin spied the massive Sith Academy looming up ahead of her. The building looked to have been carved out of the surrounding cliff. The walls were a dusty red color and the entire structure rose above the land, the architecture all hard angles and large sloping peaks. Massive stone statues of Sith in cowls glared down at the inhabitants below and the terrain was dotted with smaller outpost buildings. The building and surrounding structures were meant to evoke a sense of intimidation and awe. And while impressive Vaylin was hardly put off. Instead, she was curious. What secrets lay locked behind the walls of the Academy? 

The lift shuttered as it reached the bottom of the cliff. Vaylin jumped off and slid behind an outcropping of rocks nearby. She sat utterly still for a few seconds breathing deeply, letting her senses expand. She reached out searching for enemies and felt small pinpricks dot the landscape between her and the Academy. She made a mental note of where the dots were in relation to her position and took off at a fast lope across the barren terrain. Much of the enemy forces had been called to the front to defend against her brother's attack allowing Vaylin enough room to slip past the Imperials. The Sith Academy drew closer and seemed to grow in size. It's massive shadow engulfed Vaylin as she wove through the defensive perimeter surrounding the building. 

She broke off down a small pathway that led to an open tomb and a series of tunnels that crisscrossed for miles beneath the Academy. It was her way in, found by a small recon patrol of Knights when she had first arrived on Korriban. She ducked inside, the air becoming thicker filled with the musky smell of decay. The Sith revered these ancient tombs as they held the bones of their ancestors and supposedly many secrets and long-lost treasures of a previous Empire. Vaylin could feel the Force swirling about her alerting her of the dormant power that was stirred by her intrusion. Faint whispers of long dead warriors and light tugs at her senses tried to distort her perception and distract her. Vaylin pressed on, narrowing her field of concentration to block out the outside stimuli. As she passed through the tomb and interconnecting tunnels she focused her attention on sensing for any sign of lifeforms. Her senses spread out, identifying which tunnels were dead ends and which ones would lead her to the Academy. 

She meditated as if peering down the numerous halls to see where they would lead. Finally, Vaylin settled on one when she locked onto a small group of lifeforms not far from her position. The path led her down sharp twists and turns and deeper into the underground complex. The air became heavier and light had all but vanished. Not that it mattered, Vaylin would use the Force to guide her. Finally, she came across the group that she sensed. Bright garish industrial lights were strung up across the ceiling forcing Vaylin to blink a few times to adjust her vision. Six soldiers milled about a catwalk above her head that lead to a sealed doorway. Her way into the Academy. She sensed another flickering in the Force and spied a young man, younger than her Vaylin guessed, slumped beside a stack of crates. Most likely a lower ranking Sith, an apprentice perhaps? Vaylin wrapped herself in the Force, feeling the pressure build within her body as she grabbed her lightsaber from her belt. She focused on the boy apprentice and sprang, soaring through the air the Force amplifying her momentum and carrying her straight towards the unaware boy. She ignited her blade and saw his eyes widen, futilely grasping for his weapon's hilt. 

'Too late,' Vaylin thought as she sliced through the boy's neck, his head thumping to the metal grating. Vaylin turned and for a beat, the other soldiers just stared at her in shock. Vaylin smirked and charged them. They raised their rifles and fired off a salvo of shots. Vaylin brought her blade up and deflected two of the shots back at an unfortunate man who tumbled backward off the catwalk. She slid forward and arched her blade upwards to cleave another in two before pivoting to the right and burying her weapon in the chest of a woman. Three down. Frenzied beeping drew her attention back to the remaining soldiers. One had thrown a thermal detonator in her direction and it landed at her feet. A shrill beep indicated the device was ready to detonate. Vaylin wrapped herself in the Force. The detonator exploded and Vaylin felt the heat of the fire rush around her. She pushed back, using the Force to redirect the flames back at her attackers. They screamed as all three were engulfed in fire. Vaylin blew a strand of hair from her face and surveyed her handiwork satisfied all were dead. She approached the door. 

The door was made from thick durasteel and sealed tight with a panel requesting an access code to enter. Vaylin glanced back at the corpses and briefly regretted not keeping at least one of them alive so she could have gotten the code. Vaylin turned back to the door and stretched out her hand, focusing her power on the door and the energy flowing from her body. Her power was still returning to her from the years it had been locked away by her father, but Vaylin could feel her strength growing. She clenched her hand into a fist and the door crumpled in on itself. A quick flick of her wrist wrenched it from its frame and sent it careening off the catwalk below. A loud clang signaled when it hit the floor.

Vaylin passed through the entrance and crept down the long dark hallway. It was roughly cut from stone with dim sconces casting an eerie light. She moved silently sticking to shadows and suppressing her presence. The fewer people she encountered the better. The interior eventually changed from rough cut stonework to smooth gray durasteel walls covered in red tapestries and flags denoting the Sith Empire. Vaylin ducked into an empty room as a small patrol of soldiers passed by. The patrols were becoming more frequent as she ventured further into the Academy and Vaylin wondered where the shield generator was? She couldn't just wander aimlessly around searching for it. A few more turns down a long corridor brought Vaylin to a security station. Two guards and a man in an officers uniform worked at the terminals. They had their backs to Vaylin. Just what she needed. She focused on the two guards closest to her and clenched her hands into fists snapping their necks. A small burst of speed put her right behind the officer as the guard's bodies hit the floor. He flinched at the sound and turned to see what had happened, but Vaylin pressed the hilt of her lightsaber between his shoulder blades. 

“Don't turn around or speak. Tell me the location of the shield generator or I'll gut you,” Vaylin whispered digging her hilt into the man's back for emphasis. He gulped and typed in a few codes and shakily pointed to a schematic on screen. 

“Generators on the second floor r-right off the lift,” the officer stammered. Vaylin scanned the schematic, committing every detail to memory. She thumbed the activation switch on her saber and a yellow blade protruded from the man's chest. Shock colored his features and his mouth hung open. Vaylin withdrew her blade and let the man slump forward onto the keyboard. She ducked out of the room and slipped through the corridors taking a service flight of stairs to the second floor. Every now and again Vaylin would slip behind a corner or duck into a room to avoid being detected by passing soldiers and Sith alike. She cut a quick right and stopped short. The room that housed the shield generator was just ahead. Standing at the entrance was two massive war droids. They swiveled about, scanning their surroundings. Heavy cannons were mounted on the droids reinforced chassis and behind the droids were about a dozen soldiers. Milling around them was a tall woman. Her hair was a stark white, a sharp contrast to her tanned skin. Her face was angular and her eyes were a molten yellow, black robes hung from her lithe frame. The Force swirled about her being. She was nothing like the boy Vaylin had decapitated down in the tomb. She was a true Sith, someone who could offer a challenge to the High Justice. 

She would have to do away with the war droids first. Gathering the Force around her Vaylin stepped out of her hiding spot. The Sith woman immediately turned, hand already grasped around her lightsabers hilt. Vaylin thrust her arms out sending a concussive blast of energy forward. The war droids took the brunt of the blast and immediately crumpled in on themselves. The soldiers standing in front of the Sith woman were thrown violently back into the wall while the Sith dispelled Vaylin's chaotic Force wave. The remaining soldiers opened fire. Vaylin deflected the shots back and charged forward. The woman's red blade clashed with her yellow one and the two parried back and forth down the hall, dodging blaster fire and grenades. 

“Call for reinforcements,” shouted the Sith. She leveled her blade at Vaylin's chest and surged forward. Vaylin sidestepped and curled her hand. The woman was lifted off the ground and aimlessly hurled back. She landed in a heap a few meters away. Vaylin dashed forward and cleaved a soldier in two before slicing through another. The soldiers tried to back away from her violent assault and keep her in their sights, but Vaylin was too fast for them to land a shot. She thrust her saber through the chest of the last soldier. A buzz reverberated throughout the back of Vaylin's skull warning her of danger. She threw herself sideways into a roll just as a red blade slashed the air she had been occupying. The Sith woman stood behind her seething, nostrils flaring and eyes ablaze. 

“You would dare attack the Sith here? I can't decide if you're incredibly stupid or incredibly brave,” mocked the woman. They circled each other. The Sith held her blade out, tip pointed at Vaylin's face, placing one foot carefully beside the other. She was rattled and on the defensive. Vaylin smiled internally and twirled her saber. Her lack of a response seemed to incense the woman more. She swung her red blade lengthwise and Vaylin countered the blow. They clashed and sparks flew from their blades. Vaylin narrowed her eyes. While this encounter was stimulating she didn't have time to waste. Someone was bound to have heard their fight. Vaylin slipped back and dropped her stance. The Sith seeing an opening lunged forward to deliver a killing blow but was stopped. Her entire body tensed up and her eyes darted from side to side. Vaylin concentrated and watched the woman's body rise off the ground. The Sith struggled, her mind thrashed out against Vaylin's. It didn't matter how much she fought, no one could ever break free from Vaylin's power. She wrapped the Force around the woman and began tightening the hold she held. The woman's forearms and legs bent backward at an unnatural angle as Vaylin slowly increased the crushing pressure around the woman. Her eyes bulged as muffled cracks echoed about. She gave a strained yelp then hung limp as Vaylin crushed her rib cage and innards. The body dropped to the floor with a dull thump. 

The room that held the shield generators was spacious. The ceiling was vaulted and massive cylindrical generators rose from floor to ceiling, flashing blue. Vaylin focused on the first generator. She curled her hand into a fist and watched the machine flatten and explode. The explosion and debris from the first generator slammed into the second causing it to overheat and shut down. 

'Mission accomplished,' Vaylin thought wryly as she ducked out of the room and sent Arcann the signal over her commlink that the shield generators were down. Now to rejoin her brother on the battlefield and watch the Eternal Fleet level the Academy to dust. She took off down the corridor and made it to the landing before a massive Force wave blasted Vaylin backward several meters. Vaylin flipped through the air and landed in a crouch. Her eyes glowered as she glared across the second-floor landing at the person who had caught her off guard. 

He was tall, standing an impressive two meters and thickly muscled. His shoulders were broad and his skin was a startling shade of deep red with a splash of black hair cut close to his scalp. There were bony protrusions on his chin and brow and his eyes were a burning yellow with a deep scar cutting through his right eye. He was a true Sith, a Pureblood if Vaylin recalled correctly. He clenched an ignited lightsaber in his left hand, the blade a meter and half in length much longer then Vaylin's own. Vaylin rose to her feet and held her blade out in front of her in a defensive position. Even though she had fought his kind before this Sith wasn't like any of the others she had encountered. She could feel the power rolling off of him in waves much like hers. The room became pressurized as the two combatants stared each other down. Then they lunged. Their blades clashed together and Vaylin was nearly thrown off her feet at the power of his blow. His movements were controlled and powerful, indicative of a master swordsman who had spent many years honing his skills. Much like Arcann. 

Vaylin stepped back trying to clear the Sith's range and study his attack patterns for any weaknesses, but the warrior pursued her doggedly. He pressed her to the landings edge and Vaylin turned and leaped off the landing and dropped to the first floor. She tucked her shoulder and rolled to better brace the impact and sprang to her feet. Around her stood surprised soldiers and Sith alike. The Sith Pureblood rocketed off the second floor and landed firmly on his feet. The force of his drop expelled a burst of energy that rocked the floor. She saw him flinch slightly and his shirt rode up briefly. Vaylin glimpsed white bandages and kolto patches that swathed his torso indicative of an injury. Something she could exploit. Vaylin spread her feet to steady herself and fell back into a defensive crouch. She was surrounded. Soldiers raised their rifles and several more Sith ignited their blades. Her eyes darted about the room. 

“High Justice Vaylin I presume?”

Vaylin locked eyes with the Sith Pureblood. “Perhaps. Who's asking?”

The Sith stalked forward. “I recognize you from the surveillance holos and the battlefield. I am the Empire's Wrath, Bensynn Kurik. Call off your forces and maybe you'll leave here alive.” 

Vaylin stood her ground but began to subtly gather the Force around her. “I have no control over the forces outside. You'll have to consult with the Emperor for that.” 

Bensynn scowled. “Then I see no reason to keep you alive.” 

Two of the Sith on either side of her sprang forward. Vaylin unleashed the pent-up energy she had gathered and it blasted the two Sith and some of the soldiers back. A massive roar was heard across the room and Vaylin paused to watch the Sith warrior leap through the air at her. She brought her blade up to intercept his blow and was swept off her feet at the force. Vaylin rolled back onto the balls of her feet and swung her blade at her opponent's injured side. He blocked her strike and slid his blade down hers. The tip of his saber carved a burning path down her bicep. The pain erupted over her arm and rushed to her head. She reveled in the feeling, letting the burning sensation hyper focus her senses and fuel her. A sudden blast rocked the foundations of the Sith Academy. Then another and another. The Eternal Fleet had begun its bombardment. The Wrath stood distracted for a split second as did the other inhabitants of the room, all shocked at the blatant attack. Vaylin seized the opportunity. 

She inhaled deeply feeling the atmosphere thicken with ozone. Her whole body buzzed with power and Vaylin focused that energy into her hands which came alight with long arcs of white lightning. The Wrath, sensing the imminent danger, returned his attention to her. Too late. White hot tendrils of lightning shot from her hands and engulfed the warrior pushing him backward. The air around her became superheated and a massive boom echoed about the room. The Sith landed in heap. He struggled to stand, but Vaylin didn't give him a chance. She sent another arc of lightning into his body. His flesh burned and his entire body convulsed violently. Vaylin almost laughed at the sight. A blaster bolt seared past her head reminding her of the other enemies in the room. 

The soldiers and other Sith had regrouped now and were rushing to engage her. Vaylin blasted them back. Still, more troops and Sith were flooding in from other levels and Vaylin moved to not have her back to them. A massive explosion blasted the doors off the main entranceway. Arcann came surging forward with an entire contingent of Knights and Skytroopers on his heels. The two sides clashed and Vaylin turned to see the Wrath struggling to his feet, teeth gritted in pain. Blood stained his side and the skin of his arms was severely burned. Vaylin ignited her blade and rushed forward. Before she could strike a blast of lightning swept her aside. 

“Stay away from him,” a voice snarled. Vaylin turned to see a small slender woman with russet hair and pale skin standing in front of the injured warrior. Her orange eyes murderously bore into Vaylin's. She spun a double bladed saber with orange-red blades nimbly between her hands. 

“Massaia I'm okay,” the Sith said moving to stand beside the small fiery woman. She didn't look convinced but didn't argue. The two advanced on her and Vaylin grinned welcoming the challenge. A spark of white lightning halted their steps as Arcann stepped forward beside Vaylin. 

“Your forces are defeated. Stand down,” Arcann commanded. The fighting was still raging around them, but the overwhelming numbers of their Skytroopers and Knights were starting to cut down the resistance. 

“Not a chance,” the Sith warrior spat. He and the woman leaped forward. Arcann intercepted the woman's spinning blades and knocked her back while Vaylin reengaged the Sith Pureblood. Vaylin was impressed by their endurance. Both were clearly injured and drained, but still, they managed to defend against her and her brother's attacks. Arcann dodged a low slash at his legs and swung his blade lengthwise digging into the red-headed woman's side. She gave a pained gasp, dropping her guard and Arcann slammed his booted foot into her midsection knocking her to the floor. 

“Massaia,” the Wrath called knocking Vaylin back with a series of vicious blows and charging at Arcann who loomed over the prone woman. He barreled into her brother and pushed him backward. Vaylin shot another stream of lightning at his unprotected back. A boom echoed through the room as the electricity tore through his body. The woman moved to try and stand but Arcann pressed in, lightning flowing from his palm violently electrocuting the woman. The two Sith thrashed about in agony, spasms wracking their bodies before coming to a jerky halt. Arcann and Vaylin stood over their smoking heaps as the battle dwindled down as the last remaining Sith and soldiers were beaten into submission. Distant booms could still be heard as the Eternal Fleet continued to pummel the surface. 

“Emperor Arcann what should be done with the prisoners?” asked a Knight indicating to the small groups of combatants who were still alive. 

“Round up anyone who is still alive and have them sent to the Crucible. Then have them transported to Hast and fitted for a prison camp,” Arcann replied. “Live or die they belong to the Eternal Empire now.” 

Vaylin watched Arcann stalk off towards the entrance, a pair of his Knights following a step behind. Two other Knights collected the two burnt concussed Sith Vaylin and Arcann had subdued and dragged them away with the other prisoners. She could still sense their power even though they were both severely injured. She turned and surveyed the carnage she and her brother had caused. Countless beings lay dead, some of the Eternal Empire, more still Sith and Imperial. The Knights were dragging the dead into two piles at the base of a massive obelisk that was situated in the center of the room. It was something Vaylin had paid no heed during her fight but now felt a tug from the strange object. As she approached she saw that the gilded black obelisk had intricate words and images carved into its reflective surface. Even though she couldn't make sense of the language Vaylin could still appreciate the fine craftsmanship. A latent power pulsed beneath the surface of the strange object. 

Vaylin stretched out her hand and pressed her palm to its cool surface. Her reflection before her flashed and distorted. Her face became longer and more angular, ridges appearing on her cheeks and forehead, her pupils dilated engulfing her eyes in inky blackness. Startled Vaylin jerked away stumbling back a step. Her visage returned to normal and Vaylin blinked a few times not sure what she had just seen. A few Knights glanced in her direction clearly puzzled at her behavior, but Vaylin ignored them. She was clearly tired and her mind was playing tricks on her. Vaylin turned and left the Academy. Stepping out into the harsh sunlight she surveyed the many bodies strewn about the Academy's courtyard and front steps. The battle had clearly been brutal. Vaylin descended the stone steps towards her brother who stood conversing with a few Knights and officers at the bottom. As she reached him the others departed. 

“Knights report any remaining forces are fleeing into the surrounding deserts. Scout ships will search for any stragglers. The main force is destroyed. Your plan worked,” Arcann asserted begrudgingly. 

“Try not to look so pleased,” Vaylin muttered rubbing at her injured arm. 

Arcann glanced at her wound. “You should get that looked at,” he murmured. 

Again Vaylin was caught off guard at the concern in his tone. “Its nothing,” Vaylin objected crossing her arms. Arcann didn't press her. Instead, they both stood silently watching the sun climb higher and higher over chaos they had wrought. With Jedi and Sith both gone there was no one left to stop them. The galaxy belonged to the Eternal Empire now.


	5. Chapter 2: A Dream of Empire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caydenn struggles to survive the dangerous landscape of her mind and come to terms with an enigmatic new ally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to the main story now that all of the main characters have been set up.

The air around her was cold and thin. The solid ground beneath her back kept Caydenn grounded as she floated in and out of consciousness. She felt numb. Caydenn groaned softly as she sat up and blinked several times to clear her vision. Above her was the vast inky blackness of space dispersed with burning debris and broken ships all hovering in place. Caydenn stood shakily and passed a hand over her eyes as if to clear her vision. How could she be here? The last place she remembered being was in the strange throne room with Marr and...Vitiate, who was now masquerading as Valkorion. Had that all been a hallucination? Had she really died aboard Marr's destroyed flagship? 

The rock on which Caydenn stood sloped down and was riddled with craters and pockmarks. The rock twisted into strange caverns and soared high like spindly towers, and all around were massive pieces of destroyed ships, bulwarks and frames some engulfed in flames, all frozen in place as if time had ceased. Still others were intact, some that Caydenn recognized from Marr's doomed fleet and others that belonged to the mysterious invaders. Caydenn shifted her weight and felt a brief stab of pain radiate out from her left side. Looking down Caydenn saw a dried streak of blood around the kolto patch that barely covered a wound. It ached dully but didn't bleed despite its depth and length. All the more reason to believe she was dead. There was no sound to be heard. Caydenn strained her ears and eyes to try and catch even the slightest hint of life. The soft scuffle of boots behind her alerted the soldier of another presence. 

“I have always loved the stars.” His voice was unmistakable. A deep rich baritone with just a hint of gravel to it that seemed to echo around the vacant landscape. Valkorion wandered up behind Caydenn. His hands were clasped behind his back and his posture was relaxed. He seemed pretty at ease for a man who had just been shot in the chest. Caydenn should have been surprised by his presence, but honestly, she wasn't. Of course, shooting the god-emperor in the back wouldn't be enough to put an end to him. 

“Next time we fight I'll drop you into one of them. See if that finishes you off,” grunted Caydenn narrowing her eyes at the man who came to a stop next to her. Her hands tightened into fists as he chuckled lowly at her comment, and Caydenn had to will herself not to clock him in the nose. 

“You would not be the first to try,” Valkorion began cryptically, leveling her under a cool stare. “But you could be the first to succeed.” He turned to gaze out over the ruined barren landscape as if contemplating his next words. “You cannot wield the Force, yet you triumph overpowers far greater. You have earned my respect. I followed you here so that we may speak undisturbed.” 

Caydenn didn't outwardly react to the specters words. She couldn't afford to have him get under her skin so instead, she dismissed him. “I don't have time for you.” 

“On the contrary, time is all you have,” Valkorion revealed. “Use it to evolve.” 

“Forget it,” Caydenn growled lowly. She turned and stalked off down the rocky slope, determined to find someplace farther away from the former Emperor. Her left side and now leg burned with each step she took. The pain kept her present. Without it, Caydenn worried she would drift off. Her mind lost to the utter silence and dismal atmosphere. She stopped at a fork in the path with a large piece of durasteel plating resting in front of her. She could just make out the murky reflection of herself and Valkorion lurking not far behind her. She scowled and marched off down a path that leads her up a steep incline. She stopped at the top and sucked in several lungfuls of air. It was strange for Caydenn to be so breathless considering she was in peak physical shape due to her training as a soldier. Perhaps the strange place she found herself in was affecting her more than she first thought. 

“You should take care not to waste your energy needlessly,” Valkorion intoned. He appeared beside her again, robes and hair pristine, appearing totally at ease. Caydenn ignored him. And even though it started out as a good plan she quickly found out that no matter where she went Valkorion was never far behind. This must be some cruel joke put on her by the Force for her past indiscretions to be trapped on this lifeless rock with no one else but the person she hated most in the galaxy as her only company. Caydenn stopped atop a large swell of rocks. In every direction, dustier gray rock spread out as far as the eye could see. A faint glimmer caught her attention though and in the distance, she caught sight of orange paint covering thick gray durasteel. The Thunderclap. Spread around it in a loose semicircle were the frozen figures of her squad. Caydenn blinked several times not believing what she was seeing. Her squad was here and Caydenn had to get to them. 

“Your Havoc Squad,” Valkorions flat tone stopped Caydenn from moving forward. “Its members followed you beyond all reason. Bitter survivors and self-righteous butchers, nothing more.” 

“You don't know them,” Caydenn snapped jumping to her team's defense. How many times had she and her squad been called killers? How many times had they been forced to complete tasks no one, not even the Jedi, would do? Hearing the spiteful words slip from Valkorion reminded Caydenn of the people who had looked on her in disdain. 

“What becomes of soldiers without their leader?” Valkorion continued, ignoring Caydenn's outburst. “Warriors, who lose their cause?”

“Havoc Squads mission hasn't changed. They'll keep fighting,” Caydenn challenged. 

Valkorion frowned seemingly displeased with her answer. “Like machines executing a program. You are better than that.” 

“A commander's nothing without troops,” Caydenn argued. “We rely on each other.” 

“And yet each day they drift further out of reach. Without a center to hold... without us... the galaxy and all within it spiral into chaos,” Valkorion said. Caydenn narrowed her eyes. The disposed of Emperor seemed to be lost in thought. 

“You thrive on disorder Valkorion. It's what feeds you.” Caydenn crossed her arms over her chest. 

“There are many things that feed me, soldier. It would do you well to remember that,” Valkorion murmured the veiled threat not lost on Caydenn who only returned his cold stare. A sudden sharp pain erupted in Caydenn's chest driving her to her knees. It burned like she was drowning, her lungs filled with molten liquid. Pain sliced across her head and came to rest behind her left eye in a pounding tempo. She dry heaved in agony, body shaking with the effort to not pass out. 

“What's happening to me...” Caydenn spat out.

“The carbon freezing was imperfect. Your body is poisoned. Dying,” Valkorion divulged watching her struggle to her feet balefully. He turned his back to her as if surveying the terrain. “It appears old foes have come to take your life.” 

The stark way in which Valkorion forewarned her sent a chill up her spine. If the Sith Emperor was here who else from Caydenn's past had found their way here? But then how could they harm her if she was already dead or if she were to believe Valkorion near death? She steadied herself and took a deep breath to center herself. “I'm not afraid. None of this is real.”

“Illusions can kill,” said Valkorion cryptically. “If you want to live, then you must fight.” 

Caydenn felt the familiar weight of her rifle slung across her back and reached back to grasp the weapon. The gun slid into her hands with ease and Caydenn briefly wondered how the weapon had found its way back to her when she had lost it under Arcann's imprisonment. She turned to Valkorion for an explanation, but the man had vanished. Caydenn decided to not question the good grace she had been given and instead headed down the slope towards her teammates in the distance. 

Dust crunched under her boots as she ran past the flaming wreckage and tried to control her breathing. The piercing pain in her head only seemed to increase the longer she ran. Every so often her lungs would seize up and Caydenn would gasp and wretch before continuing on. A sudden blaster bolt seared past her head and Caydenn threw herself flat. The twisted remains of several of those droids that had boarded Marr's ship staggered into view. Their white chassis was scorched and cracked and some were missing limbs. Caydenn fired off a few shots to draw their attention then ducked behind an outcropping of rocks. She stared down the barrel of her rifle and fired off several concise shots. The droids went down. 

Caydenn bypassed their smoking husks and pressed forward. She slid down a steep decline and found herself in a small clearing surrounded by raised rocks on all sides. The only way forward was blocked. 

“Tavus?” Caydenn called. The former commander of Havoc locked eyes with her from across the clearing. His armor was covered in soot and his face was drawn tight, the skin a sallow gray color and his eyes hollow. He didn't say anything, only leveled his heavy carbine rifle at her chest and fired. Caydenn dodged to the right firing off her own round of shots. Tavus leaped to the side and shot an incendiary round in her direction. Caydenn jumped and caught hold of a piece of debris near her and swung forward. Using her momentum she hurled her body forward and crashed into Tavus, both of them rolling around in the dust trading blows. Caydenn slipped under Tavus's elbow throw and wrapped her mechanical right arm around his throat and her other hand across his head. He struggled in her grasp vainly. Caydenn jerked her hands in opposite directions. A sickening snap resonated off the rock walls and Tavus slumped down, his lifeless eyes glaring up at her. 

Caydenn turned away from the corpse. Even though Tavus had been a traitor she had been forced to kill, doing it again brought her no pleasure. A serrated shot slice through her metal arm alerting Caydenn of another unseen enemy. She grabbed her rifle and slid behind cover waiting for another shot. Nothing came. Caydenn grabbed a handful of dust and rocks and threw it in the air before dashing from cover. Another shot just barely missed Caydenn's head, but the Zabrak caught a glimpse of a sniper rifle emerging from a twisted pile of metal. Caydenn fired on the debris and a figure shot out. He was tall and proud with a tailored officers uniform that fit his muscular frame. Cunning dark eyes tracked Caydenn's movements and a dark smile twisted his gaunt features. General Rakton, the greatest military mind of the Sith Empire, a man Caydenn had fought many times. 

Like Tavus he said nothing, but instead took aim at Caydenn's head again. Caydenn rolled forward to avoid the shot and swung her rifle across the General's face. It cracked across his jaw sending him tumbling to the ground. Caydenn didn't give him a chance to recover and fired several rounds into his chest. She coughed violently as her lungs seized up again. The further she went the more frequent it happened. Caydenn shook her head ignoring the pain. She checked her surroundings before venturing forward cautiously, unsure if another vision from her past would appear. She walked carefully passed a massive engine turbine and up a winding pathway. The outline of her ship grew clearer and Caydenn ran the last few yards eager to be reunited with her squad. 

She stopped short. Lying on the ground in various positions, riddled with blaster bolts and burns, was her squad. Their bodies were twisted and disfigured, eyes glazed over. Even Forex was a smoking charred heap of slag. Caydenn couldn't bring herself to look away from the horrific scene. Her hands trembled. 

“This is a soldier's fate,” warned Valkorion. His sudden reappearance tore Caydenn's attention away from her people. “You can join them, or choose a better destiny.”

Caydenn gritted her teeth. “Only cowards choose how they die. Soldier's accept their fate. They sacrifice what's necessary for others.” 

“They throw away their lives for people who care very little about what they've done.”

“We don't fight for recognition. We fight for the ideals and rights every being deserves,” Caydenn disagreed feeling her anger mount with each passing second at Valkorion's dismissive tone. 

“Corrupt ideals and self-serving rights,” the former Emperor surmised. “Everyone in the galaxy is fighting for what they believe is right. Whose to say your ideals and morals are above another's?”

“Don't you dare try to take a moral high ground with me Valkorion. You murdered billions of people..and for what? Immortality?” Caydenn accused. 

Valkorion stared the soldier down. “And how many have you murdered in the name of your ideals? You say we different, but in reality, you and I are the same. We kill for what we believe is right, as do all beings in the galaxy.”

Caydenn shook her head vehemently. “I've never justified the lives I've taken. I regret choices I've had to make and the people who suffered from them. You don't care. You take whatever you want and don't care about the repercussions.” 

“I account for the repercussions and plan for them accordingly. In the end, all people are just seeking to fulfill their own needs by whatever means necessary. Whether they hide behind a moral code or not changes nothing about the base nature of every being,” Valkorion explained as his presence faded and then disappeared. “Perhaps one day you will discover this yourself.” 

Caydenn turned back to her team. By now the dust was starting to gather over their broken bodies as if they were being absorbed back into the rock. Even her ship was split in two sinking into the terrain. There was nothing left for her here. Caydenn walked for what seemed like hours. Every now and again smoking mutilated droids would swarm her and Caydenn would be forced to fight her way out. Valkorion had claimed this was all in her mind, that her body lay elsewhere dying, but Caydenn wondered if this was her own personal hell. Forced to walk the barren rock forever, fighting off ghosts from her past, always in pain and seeing the dead faces of her friends where ever she went. Perhaps Valkorion was right. Maybe she was no different from Vitiate, a killer hiding behind shallow rules. Maybe that's why she shared this desolate place with him. Caydenn stubbornly shook her head. She couldn't afford to slip into self-doubt. Now was not the time nor place to have a crisis of character. 

The scenery around her warped and Caydenn stopped short of a massive drop off. In front of her stood the Senate Tower. The building like everything else around was crumbling and looked abandoned. Ripped Republic flags hung limply off its girders and the Senate gardens that surrounded the once prestigious building were brown and decaying. 

“You spent your life taking orders from cowardly politicians. Such a waste,” Valkorion sneered. He strode up behind her, but Caydenn didn't rise to his bait. 

“I protect free worlds from scum like you. No regrets about that,” Caydenn bit back. 

“As I said before your Republic and the morals it stood for is an empty ideal. Its people cannot appreciate your service. They are ruled by their own flawed desires and buck under the restraint of the Republics corrupt ethics,” Valkorion pressed spreading his arms to emphasized the massive crumbling structures around them. 

“I don't fight for a parade. And not all people are as amorally ambiguous as you are,” Caydenn argued turning to face the man. 

Valkorion paced forward his face softening as he took a different approach. “You deserve so much more than empty gestures. There is a greatness in you that cannot be denied. You are a far superior leader to any Chancellor.”

Caydenn ignored his flattery. “My place is on the front lines, not behind some desk.”

“And yet every soldier needs a cause worth fighting for,” said Valkorion. “This Republic is not worth saving any more than my Empire. We have a greater purpose. One that exceeds beyond the restraints put on us by common beings.”

“If you think we're joining forces, you're insane.” Caydenn crossed her arms over her chest while Valkorion ventured forward to the edge of the precipice. 

He smirked. “Am I?” 

Flashes of light burst about the sky blinding Caydenn. The burning pain from earlier returned in greater intensity forcing Caydenn to her knees. The soldier gritted her teeth to keep from crying out. This pain was like nothing she had ever felt before. Again the scenery around her changed. Valkorion remained in front of her, watching impassively as Republic soldiers and citizens alike flocked around her. Their faces were pallid, bodies tense with aggression. Several rifles were leveled at her face as Caydenn struggled to regain her breath. 

Valkorion shook his head. “You failed to defend their home. They will not forgive you.”

“Right or wrong, I'm not firing on my own people,” Caydenn gasped. She could hear their angry murmurs begin to swell around her.

“Republic... Empire... The Eternal Throne conquers all. You cannot stop it. Save yourself,” Valkorion insisted as he vanished among the angry crowd. Caydenn was on her feet, but the mob was now upon her. A rifle struck her across the cheek forcing her backward into the waiting fists of the other soldiers. The blows came from all around and Caydenn tried her best to shield her head. 

“We thought you were a hero,” one soldier shouted kicking her feet out from under her. Caydenn fell to her knees but refused to reach for her rifle. A vicious kick to her injured side knocked the breath from her body and a rock struck her head. The citizens had picked up debris and gravel and had begun to hurl it at her. Caydenn just gritted her teeth and bowed her head. 

“Millions are dead because of you,” a woman accused. She wore a long brown robe, a lightsaber was clipped to her hip. So even the Jedi had come. Blood dripped down her face, but the blows came harder. 

“Murderer!,” one screamed. 

“Butcher,” another swore spitting on her. The insults flew as thick as the blows and soon the angry faces in the crowd began to contort. Suddenly its the contorted face of Satele Shan calling her a killer and Theron is spitting in her face. Sweet Kaihlenn the Barsen'thor is glaring at her murderously and turning her back in disgust. It's a nightmare come true. The insults and barbed words ring true in Caydenn's ears. She had failed to protect her people. Her team was dead and the Republic was falling to pieces around her. A vicious kick sends Caydenn face down into the dirt. Her body trembles in pain, but the voices and blows cease. Caydenn pulls herself up and staggers upright. Gone is the furious mob and left in its place is a woman Caydenn has not seen for a long time. 

General Garza stands at attention. Her back is straight and her uniform is crisp, but like all the others her face holds telltale signs of corruption. The wrinkles around her eyes and mouth are deep casting heavy lines over the old soldier's features. Her eyes are cold and calculating. In her hands is a modified assault rifle aimed in her direction. Caydenn slips her rifle from her back. She refused to fire on unarmed civilians, but Garza was a real threat. She was not here to scream obscenities or throw rocks. No, Garza was here to kill just like Rakton and Tavus. 

They stand stock still, sizing each other up. Even if this is just an illusion of her former superior Caydenn refuses to take the first shot. In a flash, Garza unleashes a salvo of quick shots. Caydenn rolls to the side and fires back. Blood clouds her vision, but she sees Garza leap to the side. Caydenn squeezed the trigger backing Garza up and keeping her on the defensive. She fires a few shots back before one of Caydenn's stray shots catches her in the knee and sends the General down. Her rifle fell from her hands and Garza lands on her back. Caydenn doesn't give her a chance to rise. The Zabrak closes her eyes and fires two shots into her chest. 

“The corrupted patriot,” Valkorion claimed as he reemerged. By now Caydenn was numb to his reappearing acts. “In the end, victory was more important to her than the people she served.” 

Caydenn shook her refusing to look at the body. “No. She made hard decisions, but she cared about her people.” Caydenn instead turned her gaze on Valkorion. His red eyes smoldered with an anger and contempt directed purely at her. 

“Still playing the lapdog? So be it,” Valkorion criticized darkly. Suddenly the ground beneath Caydenn's feet began to deteriorate and pieces of the Senate Tower began to collapse around her. A massive burnt out gunship slipped from its perch as the ground disintegrated beneath the Major's feet sending her plummeting down into open space. So this was it. She would die falling to her death in her own mind. The air whipped past her distorting her vision for a few moments before she slammed into the hard ground again. Her ribs screamed in protest and Caydenn gasped as the air in her body was forcibly expelled from her lungs. She lay dazed for a few minutes unable to comprehend how she had just landed on a solid rock when she was sure she had fallen into the nothingness of space. Her mind was playing tricks on her. Or perhaps Valkorion didn't want her dead yet. 

A ghastly roar interrupted her inner thoughts. Caydenn sat up, body protesting, and laid eyes on a hulking beast at least three meters tall with massive claws and a mouthful of sharp teeth. Its eyes glowed an ethereal white. Caydenn recognized it as one of the strange creatures she had encountered on Ziost. A monolith if she recalled correctly. Its eyes caught hers. It leveled its massive bony head and charged headlong in her direction. Caydenn scrambled to her feet, snatching up her rifle and firing off a few shots at the creatures face. The monolith slid to the ground in front of her in a heap. Caydenn nudged it with her toe. It didn't stir. The soldier slung her rifle across her back and trudged forward taking the only path she could see. As she walked the landscape seemed to twist around her and Caydenn caught glimpses of shriveled plants and the twisted metal of buildings. The dust beneath her boots began to pile up in gray mounds. A scene Caydenn was beginning to recognize.

“Ziost,” murmured the former Emperor. “The world where everything changed. For me, you...the galaxy.”

Caydenn tried not to think back to that day where she had nearly died on the doomed planet along with so many others. Nightmares still plagued her about this world and what it had suffered at Vitiate's hands. What she had failed to stop. “You killed every living being here.”

Valkorion rubbed his hands together slowly as if attempting to wipe away his past wrongs. “They died opening my eyes to the truth. I have passed beyond death's reach.”

“Everything dies. Even you” asserted the soldier willing herself not to lunge forward and wring the man's neck. She doubted she would survive the encounter. 

“Our flesh is not who we are,” Valkorion revealed. “I no longer require a crude vessel so to speak. Instead, I am free to experience the galaxy and savor in the knowledge I gain from a thousand lifetimes.” 

“And what happens when even that isn't enough for you?” asked Caydenn. 

“When this galaxy has given all that it can to me then I will extend my reach beyond the stars perhaps and satiate my hunger elsewhere,” Valkorion surmised clasping his hands behind his back. 

“What you want will cost billions of lives. You're a delusional psychopath,” Caydenn argued back. 

“I am a part of you, now more than ever.” Valkorion paced behind the Major slowly and Caydenn turned to keep her eyes on him. He stared off absentmindedly as if witnessing something unseen to Caydenn. “I have done all I can to preserve your life.”

Caydenn eyes narrowed in suspicion at the Sith's claim. “Why would you do that?”

“You are a part of me I wish to keep,” Valkorion intoned. The ground beneath Caydenn's feet shook. The two turned. Another monolith, this one twice as big as the last one, lumbered forward. An eerie purple light glowed from its mouth and massive rock like protrusions extended from its back. Its roar shook the surrounding landscape. A spike of pain shot through Caydenn's body forcing her to her knees reminding the soldier of her many injuries. Valkorion stood over her arms crossed. “I cannot save you unless you want to live.”

“I can take this heap of slag on my own,” snapped Caydenn righting herself and grabbing her rifle. 

“Show me,” Valkorion challenged before fading back into the shadows. The monolith roared again and charged. Caydenn slipped into her training and dashed forward ducking under the monster's massive claws and between its legs. She fired off a few shots, but this creatures hide must have tougher than the others for it didn't seem to affect it too much. Instead, the monolith turned incensed and swiped its hand into Caydenn, backhanding her several yards away from where she landed in a dusty heap. Caydenn groaned and rolled to her feet just in time to dodge being trampled underfoot as the creature charged her again. Caydenn took aim at the monsters unprotected eyes and fired several shots. They found their mark and the monolith howled in pain. While the creature was distracted Caydenn shot the soft skin of its throat. The monolith gurgled and lurched forward. Caydenn jumped out of the way to avoid being crushed as the creature landed in a heap. Its eyes dimmed and breathing ceased. Caydenn limped around the massive beast to find Valkorion inspecting her handiwork. 

“You are the only one who has ever matched my will to survive,” Valkorion noted gesturing to the downed monolith. 

“Stop comparing yourself to me. We're nothing alike,” snarled Caydenn fed up with Valkorion's games and this dreary world. 

“And yet we share a common foe,” Valkorion pointed out. Everything around them shifted. The gray dirty rock melted away to reveal durasteel and glass ports enclosing a room with a raised dais and throne in the center. The strange throne room Marr had died in and Caydenn had killed Valkorion. The mysterious armored guardians with mounted sabers stood at attention on either side of a long walkway. Coming down the center being herded by other helmeted guardians came two clearly different individuals. One was Senator Evren, a diplomat who had been stationed on Voss and Caydenn had personal experience with. The other was an older Sith Pureblood Caydenn recognized as one of the Dark Council. At the end of the walkway standing before the massive white throne was Arcann. He glared balefully down at the two men who were forced to kneel before him before waving them off and returning to his throne. 

The girl who had been present during Marr's death gestured for the guards to remove the two men. She turned to look back at Arcann on the throne when time stopped abruptly and Valkorion appeared. “The Eternal Throne. The new seat of power in the galaxy.”

Caydenn blinked in surprise at Valkorion's claim. “It can't be. I've only been gone-.”

“Longer than you think,” Valkorion interrupted. “Zakuul has surpassed my expectations. The most powerful fleet in history, and an army of guardians who know the Force is more than light or dark.” Valkorion eyes glowed with pride as he explained, but then he frowned as he turned to survey the two individuals who stood on the dais. “But my children...my children abuse their power.”

Caydenn stared at them. So the girl was also a child of the errant Sith Emperor, making her the sister of Arcann also. Her blazing eyes matched Arcann's and Caydenn could see the physical resemblance in the curve of their eyes and shape of their faces. She turned to address Valkorion. “What did you expect? You're their role model.” 

Valkorion frowned and paced away. “I was different here,” he revealed. “Abandoning my past let me experience pleasures I denied myself before. I have known love on Zakuul. Who knows? Even you may find it?”

Caydenn's mind flashed to Lana. What was she doing now that Marr was dead? Was she okay? She forced the worried thoughts from her mind refusing to let the memories she had with Lana to be twisted into something ugly. “You aren't capable of love Valkorion,” Caydenn said. 

Valkorion turned to stare her down. “I care about more than you know.” There was hesitation in his tone. As if admitting such a vulnerability was damning. He turned his gaze back to his children and his expression soured. “You must deal with my errant son and daughter before they ruin everything.” 

“Yeah, I knew you wanted something. You can't stop them alone,” Caydenn concluded stalking away from Valkorion. 

“They are deadly-and worse, lack discipline,” the previous Emperor warned. “Do not underestimate their threat. It will take both of us to undo the damage they can inflict.” Time seemed to speed up and resume as Caydenn passed by the girl in black. She narrowed her eyes before grabbing her lightsaber and igniting it. Arcann didn't move. Caydenn stopped abruptly as the girl blocked her path and held her yellow blade in front of her, the tip inches from Caydenn's face. Her eyes were locked with Caydenn's. 

Caydenn backed away a few steps. “Your daughter sees me.”

“Vaylin was always my favorite,” Valkorion explained watching with interest as Vaylin followed the Major's slight movements. 

“What is it?” Arcann demanded. Vaylin only shook her head and ignored him. Her eyes narrowed into slits, darting down at that ground then back up to meet Caydenn's. 

Valkorion paced back and forth behind the soldier. “Interesting.” 

Caydenn frowned feeling apprehensive caught under this young woman's scrutinizing gaze. “Your daughter doesn't trust your son.”

“She trusts no one,” Valkorion revealed cryptically. Suddenly Vaylin lunged forward, driving her blade clean through Caydenn's torso. Caydenn reeled back from the unexpected blow and cried out in surprise. Pain blossomed throughout her chest and burned through her body. Vaylin withdrew her blade and Caydenn collapsed on the floor. Her injuries were taking their toll on her body. The soldier struggled to breathe. 

“I'm dying...”Cayden gasped out, palms pressed flat to the ground, her body wracked with agonizing spasms. 

“We are being reborn.” Valkorion murmured behind her. Caydenn violently dry heaved, trying desperately to breathe and force her lungs to work. She had move or do something. The room began to spin. The lights above began to emit a harsh glow obscuring her vision until it was nothing but completely white. Silence followed and the pain persisted getting worse with each passing breath. A loud rush of air filled her ears. 

“Wake up. We have to go...”


	6. Chapter 3: Outlander

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caydenn is freed from her carbonite prison only to discover the galaxy is not what it seems as new enemies work to thwart her escape.

Everything hurt. The pain was the first thing Caydenn noticed. That and the crushing pressure and inability to breathe. A loud hissing noise filled the soldier's ears and her body began to heat up. The hotter her body got the more the pressure lessened. The heat was becoming unbearable though. It was like her body was burning up from the inside out. Caydenn struggled to move, to shout, but her body only sluggishly fell forward and straight onto the hard ground below. She gasped, fresh clean air flooding her stale lungs. Her whole body trembled, wracked with painful spasms as she dry heaved violently. Her internal temperature was slowly coming down and she could just make out the muted footsteps of someone in front of her. A hand grabbed her shoulder and twisted her around. Caydenn jerked back only able to make out the blurry figure of a person dressed in dark robes. 

“Don't try to move. You're dying.” The voice was muffled with a soft lilt. Again the hand grabbed her shoulder and held her place as Caydenn weakly struggled against the strangers grasp attempting to shout but her mouth felt numb. “I may have your cure, but I'm not going to lie...This will hurt.”

A sharp pinch pricked at the base of Caydenn's neck and the soldier flinched away. The hands that had been holding her steady withdrew as Caydenn convulsed. She cried out as a liquid fire poured through her veins, alighting every nerve ending and attempting to flush out the toxins from her system. She retched painfully, only bile coming up from her empty stomach. She forced herself to breathe to help better manage the pain, a technique taught in basic training to help mitigate shock. Deep breath through the nose. Slowly let it out through the mouth. And repeat. Her heartbeats steadied and her head cleared enough for her to slowly stand. Her legs shook and her body still trembled from the exertion, but she was standing. 

“That wasn't...quite so bad.” Caydenn turned to address the voice and stopped short, blinking in shock. She passed a hand over her eyes trying to clear her blurry vision. It couldn't be. Her mind must be playing tricks on her or the carbonite poisoning was causing her to hallucinate. Or perhaps she really had died. 

“Lana. Am I glad to see you. Not sure why there are so many of you, but...” Caydenn trailed off cradling her injured side which throbbed mercilessly. Lana swam before her cloudy vision, distorted and split, but a welcome sight. “How? How are you here?”

“Let's table any questions or thank yous until I've gotten you off-world,” the Sith replied. She pulled a rifle and belt off her back, which had been slung across her shoulders and handed them carefully to her. “Gear up, quickly.” 

It was her old gear that Arcann had seized. How had Lana found it? More importantly, how had Lana found her? As Caydenn slipped her belt on and picked up her rifle a series of beeps and whistles interrupted her train of thought drawing her attention to an astromech hooked into a terminal behind Lana. The droid appeared awfully familiar. “Is that a Republic model?” 

“Teeseven Oh-one. He's agreed to help rescue you,” Lana said checking her wrist comm. Teeseven? He was Battlemaster Jao's droid. She hadn't seen the astromech since the late Jedi's funeral. More questions flooded into the soldier's mind. What was going on?

“Not a very big crew,” Caydenn pointed out. How did Lana expect to escape with her half-dead carcass with nothing but herself and a droid? 

“Yes, well, it's the best I could manage. It will have to be enough.” Lana quipped. “The Empire and Republic have all but fallen to the man who imprisoned you. You're our last hope.”

Caydenn blinked in surprise at Lana's statement. Last hope? What could Caydenn do that the entire Empire and Republic couldn't? She was only one soldier. Teeseven began beeping frantically in the corner and Lana whipped around lightsaber drawn as the blast doors opened. Several white droids that Caydenn had encountered before flooded into the room, weapons leveled at them. 

“Come on,” Lana shouted charging forward into the droids. She slashed two of the droids in half as Caydenn shot down the third one. Her vision was beginning to clear. She stumbled after the Sith as she cut her way through the roaming patrols of droids. The hallways were tight with industrial lights lining the ceiling every few meters. The bright garish lights cast strange shadows on the walls and corridors lined with rooms, some open, but many remained locked tight. 

“What kind of prison is this?” Caydenn asked taking down another two droids. 

“It's no prison. This is where Arcann keeps all of his most prized possessions,” Lana explained quickly deflecting back several blaster bolts. 

Caydenn felt her stomach roll in disgust. “Possessions?”

“Yes, don't you feel special now?” Lana asked in a tight voice. Caydenn scowled and pushed forward. The droids were flanking them now, pushing in from different hallways trying to catch them off guard, but Caydenn just slipped back into her assault tactics training. Picking her targets and continuously moving. She ignored the throbbing pain from the old gash in her side and nausea that threatened to drive her to her knees. Ahead a massive blast door stood sealed shut. A security console was running continuous feeds of different cells and corridors nearby. 

Lana strode up to the locked blast door. “I've got the door.” Caydenn watched her pace back a few feet then turn, right arm outstretched a look of intense concentration on her face. The door groaned and began to separate apart, the thick durasteel parting ever so slightly. It was an impressive sight. A shrill beep interrupted the Sith's concentration and the doors slammed shut. They both turned towards the security console. If they had Teeseven he could slice into the console and open the door for them. 

“Where's Teeseven?” asked Caydenn. 

“Generating false security alerts in other sectors. Capable little astromech-,” Lana began before answering her beeping commlink. “Yes, I read you.”

“An updated timetable would be good.” A deep male voice flooded over the commlink, one that Caydenn didn't recognize, but Lana seemed to. 

“Why? Is there a problem?” Lana questioned. 

“No. No problem...” the voice began. “...but we are starting to feel a bit exposed out here. You find the Outlander yet?”

“Yes-I've patched her in,” Lana said handing Caydenn a commlink which she clipped on. 

“Great-I'm Koth Vortena,” The voice introduced. “Welcome to the most suicidal rescue mission in history. Hope you're everything Lana said you were.” 

Caydenn frowned at the edge in the man's tone, but Lana replied back before she could. “Be patient, Koth, we're on our way-” Lana cut the transmission. “Koth will fly us out of here, just as soon as we're through this door...”

The console beeped again this time pulling up the feed of a slab of recently melted carbonite. With a start, Caydenn recognized it must have been hers. In front stood one of the strange armored guards inspecting the melted carbonite. The feed suddenly switched. A young woman dressed in black strolled down the corridor Lana and Caydenn had just come through. She looked jarringly familiar and Caydenn felt the invisible ache where she had been stabbed by the stranger in black in her dreams.

“I've seen her before...” Caydenn murmured leaning forward on the console to better observe the girl's movements. 

Lana let out a soft no and Caydenn glanced in her direction. Her posture was stiff, hands balled into fists, lips drawn tight in worry. The girl approached the carbonite and looked around. 

“High Justice Vaylin!” The guard turned to address her. “The...the intruders have released the Outlander. Skytroopers are scouring the building, but... uhhh...”

“But?” Vaylin prodded. “Go on, don't be shy.”

“But there are alarms sounding in multiple sectors.” The man continued nervously. “We can't seem to pin them down.”

Vaylin stared the man down for a second. “Well...don't you worry.” Vaylin outstretched her hand and the guard was suddenly lifted off his feet. He jerked about wildly and Caydenn tapped a button to zoom the camera. A sickening snap filled the room and Vaylin abruptly turned and stared up into the camera mounted on the wall. Her's sickly yellow eyes locked with Caydenn's. She couldn't look away and Vaylin smiled. “Everybody makes mistakes.” She then cut the feed and Caydenn took a step back shaking her head. 

“We're not ready. Not for Vaylin.” Lana warned.

“It was like she looked right at us,” Caydenn said still feeling as if she was being watched. 

“She sees you through the Force,” Lana explained. “You've become her quarry, and she never fails.” Lana turned and walked towards the blast door again. She threw both arms forward, hands curled inwards, pulling the doors apart forcefully. They whined and spit sparks as they were peeled apart inch by inch. “Let's get out of here. Hurry!”

They both dove forward through the door and rolled to a stop on the other side. The door slammed behind them alerting several Skytroopers to their position. Caydenn aimed her rifle and shot down two. Lana Force pushed the last against the far wall shattering it to pieces. As they moved to continue on down the corridor Caydenn stumbled against a wall. Her lungs seized much like they had when she had been trapped in her mind. She couldn't breathe, only cough and try to gasp for air as her body tried to combat the carbonite still trapped in her lungs. Lana turned at the sound of her pained gasps. 

“What...W-what's-” Caydenn stammered trying to voice her concerns only to be overcome by another violent coughing fit. 

“It must be the carbonite poisoning,” Lana guessed looping Caydenn's arm over her shoulders and practically dragging the soldier forward. “The cure must only be combating acute symptoms.” Her comm beeped again. 

“Starting to really bustle out here!” Koth's voice burst over the comm. Caydenn pulled away from Lana as her breathing returned to normal.

Lana eyed her as she responded. “Koth, Vaylin's arrived.”

“Already? Okay, let me know the second you hit the lift.” Alarms began blaring and more Skytroopers flooded in. Lana dashed forward slashing through the droids while Caydenn provided cover fire. Her mind absently mulled over the casual way Lana talked with the mysterious pilot. How had she met the man? 

“What's the story with Koth? He's not Imperial...” Caydenn started. Even though Lana had willingly worked with her and Theron over the years Lana's first loyalty was to the Empire. Which meant she usually went to her own people for help first before employing the use of outside help. 

“He used to serve in Zakuul's military. Now he's dedicated his life to ending Arcann's reign,” Lana replied slipping down a narrow hallway. 

Caydenn thumbed the safety on her rifle and followed. A soldier from Zakuul? How had Lana managed to recruit him? And had the new emperor subjected him to that had forced him to defect? “Why? What did Arcann do to him?”

A blaster bolt seared past them. “You can ask him yourself, provided we make it out of here alive.” Lana ended the conversation. She leaped through the air slashing the droid in half and scattering the others. Caydenn blasted through several of them, ducking to avoid a grenade thrown in her direction. They cut a quick right and approached a service lift. 

“Hope you're not too close yet!”

Koth's voice flooded their commlinks as Lana responded. “What's happening?”

Blaster fire could be heard echoing over the comm. “Nothing I can't handle, but we need to move the pickup!”

“We don't have time for this,” Lana snapped. 

“Well if I land now, I'll be shot to pieces. So just think of it as a personal favor to me, huh?” Koth argued back. “Duck through another tower and I'll find you.”

The blaster fire increased in intensity and Caydenn frowned in concern. Even though she didn't know this man he was risking his life to help her escape. “Watch your back out there.”

“My number one pastime these days...” The soldier joked. “Always love our little excursions, Lana. Back with you shortly.” 

The comm cut off and Caydenn felt a small stab of jealousy at Koth's familiarity with Lana. They seemed close and before Caydenn could stop herself the words had left her mouth. “Are you two...?” Even though their short-lived relationship had ended on Ziost Caydenn couldn't deny she still harbored feelings for Lana. If she had moved on it would hurt. Understandable if she did, but still. 

Lana's eyes narrowed incredulously at Caydenn's question. “I'll pretend that's not your greatest concern at this particular moment.” A massive explosion sounded not far behind them and the alarms doubled. “We have to keep moving.”

They both rushed forward into the lift. The doors closed behind them and the lift began to descend. Outside the lift, a massive city sprawled out in front of them. Impossibly tall spires disappeared overhead as they broke the atmosphere and automated speeders zipped through the buildings. Caydenn couldn't believe the architecture and astounding technology. It reminded her of Coruscant in some ways, but more austere and rigid. She turned to Lana to ask her about the strange world but paused. Her golden eyes were studying her face closely, almost memorizing it. They were as beautiful and sharp as Caydenn remembered them, but looking at the Sith now Caydenn could see she had changed. Lines around her eyes indicated many sleepless nights and her hair was cut much shorter, closer to her jaw. Lana's skin was also paler than usual. She looked like she wanted to say something.

“What?” Caydenn asked crossing her arms over her chest. The burning in her side had subsided for now. 

Lana blinked, broken from her silent reverie. “It's...good to see you.” 

Her admission surprised the soldier who turned away slightly from her searching eyes. This wasn't the place to get lost in old feelings. “I have a million questions right now.”

Lana leaned away sensing the shift in the mood. “I know.” A small assault craft zipped past their viewport and disappeared. Several attack crafts followed in hot pursuit, turbolasers firing rapidly. Caydenn watched the ships vanish and had a gut feeling Koth was in one of those ships. The lift shuddered to a stop and Lana turned to exit. “The answers will have to wait.”

They stepped out into a stately office building. It was much different from the dark metal facility she had just come from. The walls were a light gray interlaid with white trim work and gold plating. Office desks and cubicles interspersed with potted plants dotted the room. Office workers turned to stare at the two strange intruders who had just exited the lift but made no move to stop them. An explosion rocked the office and several people yelled. The glass viewports on the opposite side of the room suddenly burst inwards and several Skytroopers rocketed in. The office workers dispersed quickly while the Skytroopers opened fire. Lana threw her lightsaber at the closest droid violently bisecting it while Caydenn shoulder checked another away then blasted it with her sidearm. She aimed at another droid climbing through the broken window and shot its head off before it could get in. They rushed through the office complex dodging workers and Skytroopers alike. 

“The stairs-quickly!” Lana shouted indicating a staircase. They rushed up it taking aim at the ascending attackers and sending them tumbling back down. There was just no end to them. Every turn they took a squad of Skytroopers would be waiting. They burst in through the windows and other doors trying to outmaneuver them. They dashed outside the office complex to a massive skybridge connecting the office complex to another building. 

“We have to get across that bridge,” Lana shouted over the wind and the sound of ship overhead. They both dashed forward. A ship carrier swooped low in front of them. Docking clamps released dropping an assault walker directly in front of them. It landed upright and swiveled in their direction firing a salvo of shots. Caydenn threw herself on top of Lana as the serrated bolts tore through the air above their heads. 

“I'll draw its fire,” Caydenn shouted before Lana could say anything. She sprinted forward ignoring the burning feeling beginning to build deep within her chest. The assault walker locked onto her position and fired. Caydenn rolled forward behind a low wall covering her head as splinters of rock and debris showered over her. She fired several shots at the walker blackening the outer armor. The walker braced backward as two cylindrical casings emerged from the top of the vehicle. Missiles. Caydenn dashed from her cover as the walker rained the missiles down on her and she leaped to avoid getting caught in the blast radius. A sudden deafening explosion sounded as Lana cut through one of the assault walkers legs causing the machine to fall sideways. She ran her lightsaber through the power matrix and flipped backward as it exploded into flames. 

Lana turned back to look for Caydenn through the smoke and the soldier gave her the all-clear sign. They ran forward across the bridge. The burning in Caydenn's chest was growing worse. She stumbled and bent forward, hands braced against her knees as she painfully gasped for air. Deep rattling coughs caused her whole body to shake and her vision blurred. Around her curious civilians watched, but did nothing to help. It was getting worse. It felt as if she was drowning, molten metal filling her lungs. Lana wrapped her arms around Caydenn's torso, helping support the injured woman's weight. 

“I know it hurts, but you have to fight through it,” Lana said pulling her forward. They staggered into another building, the cool air doing little to clear her head. Caydenn slumped to the floor. She wheezed weakly. Her vision swam before her and she felt herself slipping away. She couldn't breathe. She was dying. “Hold on Caydenn. I have another dose...-” Lana's voiced vanished as Caydenn faded into darkness.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vaylin breathed deeply through her nose. She closed her eyes and expanded her senses out, past her body and into the facility. The Outlander had escaped her carbonite prison and was now attempting to escape. So the incompetent fool she had just executed wasn't wrong. There were security alarms going off in multiple sectors. False alarms meant to throw pursuers off track. But not Vaylin. She could see the Outlander now, fighting her way down the north corridor towards the back entrance lift. She was injured and weak from the carbonite toxins still flowing through her veins. Vaylin smirked. It wouldn't be too hard to track down the wounded woman. 

The corridors were buzzing with activity as Vaylin pushed her way through. Knights and Skytroopers were rushing back and forth trying to pin down security threats and figure out how the Outlander had escaped. Chatter on her commlink alerted her to a group of Skytroopers that had been destroyed near the northern lift. Her quarry was on the move. 

Vaylin pressed a link on her comm. “This is High Justice Vaylin to Assault Walker 226. I need a relocation to the detention facility, Northern Ward lift 24.”

“Copy High Justice. Apprehend or eradicate?” The assault commander asked. 

“Apprehend if possible, eradicate if needed,” Vaylin replied turning off her comm. That should keep the Outlander busy while Vaylin caught up. She had been alerted to the break out before her brother who was currently meeting with his top military advisers and had immediately come to the detention facility to oversee the recapture of the Outlander herself. Something to keep her occupied instead of overseeing mindless patrols in the Old World District or Breaktown. 

It wasn't hard to find which way the Outlander had gone once Vaylin had a lock on her. The scattered broken Skytroopers she came across along the way only provided more evidence that the Outlander was attempting to leave out the service lift in the Northern Ward. Wouldn't be long before Vaylin caught up. She paused as she approached the blast doors that sealed the Northern Ward. They were sparking and the opening mechanism appeared forcibly wrenched. Vaylin narrowed her eyes and paced forward. The Outlander, as far as Vaylin knew, wasn't Force sensitive. She was just an ordinary being. Whoever had broken her out of carbonite must have some affinity for the Force. Strong enough to open the massive blast doors without using the security console. 

She eyed the console debating on whether or not to slide in her clearance codes. The door was most likely jammed up and wouldn't open unless done so with force. “Hmm. No.” Vaylin stretched out her hands and turned them to the side. The doors metal twisted and screeched under her unrelenting power. She jerked her hands to the side and the massive blast door was ripped clean off its framing and slammed into the opposite wall. Alarms blared loudly, but Vaylin ignored them. Another spike of pain wracked the Outlander making her stumble. She was close. 

“This is Assault Walker 226. We have spotted the Outlander. Moving to detain.” Vaylin took off down the corridor. The walker would stall the Outlander for just enough time for Vaylin to arrive and throw the woman back into carbonite and kill whoever had helped her get out in the first place. The sounds of blaster fire echoed over her comm as Vaylin rounded the corner and saw the lift. She quickly boarded it, willing the lift to descend quicker as blasts echoed throughout her comm. She dashed out of the lift and through the office complex, ignoring the surprised looks on people's faces at seeing their High Justice charging through their workspace. A massive explosion rang through Vaylin's comm as well as the frantic shouts of the assault commander. Vaylin flinched at the obtrusive sound and ran through the doors out onto the skybridge. The assault walker was lying on its side completely engulfed in flames. People were scurrying away from the fiery wreckage in all directions. Through the chaos, Vaylin caught sight of her prey. The Outlander was hunched over, being supported by a much smaller woman dressed in gray robes. They stumbled through the doors of the building at the other end of the bridge and Vaylin almost laughed. 

“Not the way I would have picked,” Vaylin mused aloud. The Outlander would probably never make out of that building alive, but still, Vaylin had to be sure she was trapped or dead. She looked around and her eyes landed on an immense sun generator, an artificial conglomerate of energy that hovered well above the city in a stasis field providing power to the surrounding district. Feeling the Force gather within her Vaylin concentrated on the base of the sun generator. The metal began to splinter and crack, the entire structure shaking. She flung her arms back tearing the entire base out and flinging it into the building the Outlander had just ducked into. Explosions wracked the building and more alarms sounded as the stasis field surrounding the sun generator began to fail. 

'Let's see the Outlander try and escape from that,' Vaylin thought signaling on her comm for her personal shuttle to come and get her. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caydenn didn't even feel the stab in her neck the second time around, but her body reacted just as violently. Her nerve endings became inflamed and she vomited, body convulsing as more of the carbonite toxin was forcibly removed from her system. Her whole body shuddered a few more times before Caydenn felt her lungs clear and she could breathe again. Lana was crouched over her frowning. She was looking down at a small empty syringe, ticking off how much medicine she had used before recapping the needle and pocketing it. She stood helping the soldier to her feet. 

“Thanks,” Caydenn rasped taking a step back. She felt embarrassed at having Lana witness her weakness. She could barely make a few yards without retching or having to rely on the Sith to drag her sorry carcass around. Lana reached out a hand to place it on her arm but pulled back quickly. She hesitated as if not sure what to say. They both looked away. A serious of fierce blasts rocked the building they were in. The foundation shook as the two stumbled and flailed to remain upright. The windows shattered raining glass down onto them. 

“What's happening?” Caydenn shouted above the explosions. 

“It's Vaylin,” Lana affirmed. “She'll bring the whole city crashing down on you if she has to!”

“Lana are my scanners glitched?” Koth's voice interrupted. “Did you just charge headfirst into a Skytrooper droid factory?”

They both whirled around taking in the production lines and glass tubes that held finished Skytroopers. “Vaylin's almost on us! We're out of options!” Lana protested. 

“This is Altair Three all over again...,” Koth groused and again Caydenn was hit with the feeling that Lana and Koth were much closer than Lana was letting on. 

“We can handle a few droids!” Caydenn assured the man. “Come on!” 

She pushed forward ignoring her pain and the now splitting headache radiating throughout her brain. She rushed the stairs with Lana following behind. Skytrooper display cases lined the stairway going up. Within the cases the droids began to move, raising their rifles and cracking the glass. Caydenn wasn't giving them a chance to get out. She fired several shots into their chassis causing them to spark and explode. More Skytroopers flooded in from the top of the stairway firing down. Caydenn ducked and returned fire. Lana pressed forward deflecting shots back at the droids as more gathered. Caydenn gritted her teeth. They were getting boxed in as more Skytroopers broke free from their cases to surround them. She squeezed the trigger on her rifle and watched in grim satisfaction as the last of the droids fell on the upper landing. 

“Let's go,” Caydenn signaled. They rushed the landing and approached a ray-shielded doorway. Caydenn pulled the plating off of a small console adjacent to the door and worked on splicing the wires together to grant them access. 

Lana pressed her comm. “Koth, what's your status?”

“Hostiles on my tail still, but I've got tricks they haven't seen yet. Whoa!”

“Koth? Koth,” Lana's voice rose in concern as blaster fire cut over the comm. 

“That one they've seen before,” Koth admitted. “Got to go. I'll keep my ears on!”

The ray shield disappeared as Caydenn sparked two wires together. She nodded to Lana then ran forward down the hall. Skytroopers continued to pour out of the crevice. Every turn they took led them right into another patrol. Scientist's and plant workers pressed back away from the fighting not wishing to be caught up in the crossfire. Caydenn burst forward out onto a catwalk that overlooked an expansive production line assembling Skytroopers. They must be in the center of the facility. 

“What happened to the reactor? That wasn't you, was it?” Koth accused. 

“Vaylin happened,” Lana retorted. 

“Vaylin did that? Guess you were right about your Outlander!” Koth admitted grudgingly. Lana just rolled her eyes and turned off the comm. Caydenn glanced in her direction, brows raised. How much had Lana told this pilot about her? They skidded to halt at the end of the catwalk and looked down. A small plexiglass lift was rapidly ascending towards them. They jumped on and the lift brought them down to the production level of the factory. Skytroopers were swarming in from all sides now. Lana launched herself up into the air, slicing one in half before it could land. Caydenn blasted several off the raised platforms around them, but they just kept coming, rocketing up from the floors below them. Caydenn sprinted towards the door at the other end of the room. Lana was there already, lightning flying from her fingertips to electrocute any Skytrooper that got too close. They slid through the door and hit the locking mechanism. 

“Reactor instability detected. Emergency evacuation is in effect.” An automated voice blared out over the comm systems. Not good. If the scientist's on-site couldn't contain the reactor breach the entire city block could be leveled. Caydenn sprinted down several corridors before bursting into the control center with Lana right behind her. They slid to a stop as the foundation shook. Loose cables broke free showering the room in sparks. A group of scientist's and technicians stood on the far side of the room frantically working to contain the reactor breach. 

“It's going to rupture!” A technician warned tapping away at her datapad in panic. “Sound the evacuation, get everybody out! Ten blocks in every direction!” The console before them sparked hurling several techs backward while others ran for cover. 

“Catastrophic reactor failure imminent.” Caydenn looked out the viewport and caught sight of a massive ball of suspended energy. It was black and orange and the energy undulated roughly outwards while the massive electrical generators surrounding it sparked viciously. Caydenn strode forward to get a better look. 

“There's nothing we can do here. Let's go,” Lana advised. 

Lana's comm chirped. “Don't you dare!” Koth protested over the comm. “If that thing blows, it's taking a whole lot of people with it! You can still shut it down! Half the city will go dark, but the countless thousands who live and work here will have a chance!” By the way Koth was pleading it sounded like he was trying to appeal to her. Caydenn eyed the unstable reactor. 

“Do you see?” Lana strode up to her. “This is how far they'll go to stop you. We need to get you off-world now!” 

Caydenn hesitated. She didn't know these people. They had imprisoned her and ripped the galaxy apart, what did she owe them? She closed her eyes and saw the technician's terrified faces. These people may be supporters of her enemies, but they were only civilians caught up in the crossfire caused by her escape. She couldn't just turn her back when there was a possibility she could stop this. “I have a chance to minimize collateral damage. I'm taking it.” 

Lana frowned in disagreement, but Caydenn ignored her and approached the fried console. “You'd better know what you're doing,” Lana warned as Caydenn observed the power readouts on the console. The energy was spiking all over the map. If she could just find a way to cut the power to the generator she may be able to contain it. Windows cracked around them and a deep rumbling caused the ground to shake. Caydenn ran towards the lift near the console and rode it down to the industrial catwalks beneath the control station. Backup controls should be somewhere nearby. Another blast rocked the railings throwing them both forward. 

“We're going to die,” Lana swore picking herself up. 

“Go wait for Koth,” Caydenn bit back. She needed to concentrate. 

“I'm not leaving you,” Lana exclaimed following the stubborn soldier into the backup control hub. Caydenn marched straight up to the standby terminal and furiously began typing in commands. The entire structure shook. “Hurry!” Lana pressed. 

Caydenn glanced back at the Sith. “Relax. It's going to be fine.” She turned back to the console and began to reduce power to the generator while simultaneously raising the safeguards around the flaming energy sphere. It appeared to be working. A sudden blast sent a massive electrical surge through the generators frying the console. Caydenn covered her face to avoid being burned by the sparks. 

“Relaxing didn't work so well,” Lana quipped striding up to her. “Now what do you propose to do?”

Caydenn put her hands on her hips gazing down at the broken console. “Whatever I can.” She walked around the broken terminal and spied a manual override console on the far side of the catwalks. She could use those consoles to shut down the reactors generators. 

“We must leave Caydenn,” Lana insisted, but Caydenn brushed past her quickly. It would be difficult to reach the terminals without getting blown off the catwalks and she only had a narrow time window to shut down the generators before the reactor reached its melting point. No time to waste. She dodged past falling debris and electrified portions of the metal grating beneath her boots. A blaster bolt cut past her left flank and Caydenn rolled forward undoing her sidearm and blasting the Skytrooper that was ascending towards her. Lana slashed another in half before turning on Caydenn. 

“This is pure insanity,” she shouted over the noise her golden eyes blazing. Caydenn pulled the lever to begin overloading the electrical tower and held it down. The energy siphoned off slowly. When the console blinked stable the Zabrak pushed back and sprinted down the walkway to the other manual console. The searing pain in her lungs had returned, but Caydenn pushed it back. She wouldn't fail. She slid to halt in front of the second console and pulled the lever. The system siphoned off its excess power and everything around her shuddered. With the second tower stable Caydenn dashed back to the backup control hub and slid behind the broken terminal to where a rudimentary backup control system was. She tapped a few of the buttons and waited for the main generator to stabilize. It didn't. Instead, the generator flared and the energy seemed to expand. 

“Enough!” Lana yelled stalking towards her. Worry and anger creased her features, an expression Caydenn was all too familiar with. One she remembered being on the receiving end of many times on Ziost. “I'm taking you with me whether you like it or not!”

Caydenn glanced around quickly. If she couldn't manually shut down these generators she would have to destroy their regulation system and pray it didn't blow up in her face. As Lana reached out to grab her arm and pull her away Caydenn pushed Lana back and unholstered her sidearm. She shot one concise shot into the middle generator, and it exploded throwing the soldier onto her back in a daze. 

“Reactor shutdown sequence initiated. Warning! Grid integrity at risk.” Caydenn groaned in relief. Her risky plan had paid off and the generator was stabilizing. The energy was shrinking by the second as metal containment grids rose to seal off the rest of the generator. All around lights shut off and the entire city descended into darkness. Lana loomed over her looking none too impressed. Caydenn rolled away from her and rose to her feet, feeling the sting of new cuts on her face from the subsequent explosion she had caused. 

“Damn your stubbornness. You just gambled with the fate of the entire galaxy!” Lana cursed hands clenched into fists at her sides as if she was mentally willing herself not hit the tall soldier. 

Caydenn let out a deep breath and turned to look back at Lana. Even though the Sith looked ready to strangle her for her stupid heroics, to Caydenn she never looked more beautiful. Standing in the dark only highlighted by the glow of the remaining fires caused by the generator Lana looked otherworldly. She couldn't resist the playful flirt. “You thought you were going to lose me.” 

“Don't start. Let's just go,” Lana snapped turning away. Caydenn frowned at her cold response but schooled her face into a neutral expression. It seems the hurt from Ziost and whatever had happened over the time Caydenn had been imprisoned was still fresh in Lana's mind. This time the pain that knifed through her chest wasn't from the carbonite poisoning, but rather from the realization that Lana had built her walls up even higher around herself since Ziost. She wasn't the woman Caydenn had begun to fall in love with on Yavin; who had laughed at her corny flirts and smiled softly whenever their eyes met. She was colder now, with a bitter look in her golden eyes. 

Lana brushed past her towards the lift and Caydenn followed. They didn't speak as they rushed through the abandoned control center and onto a maintenance lift. The lift brought them down to a set of lower catwalks. They ran through the gate at the far end and paused at the edge of a raised platform. The entire city was shrouded in darkness, the only light coming from speeders that still flew overhead. 

“The dark should help our escape,” Caydenn pointed out. It would be harder for their pursuers to track them in all the chaos. 

“Not as well as a massive explosion would have, but it will do,” Lana countered tapping her comm. “Koth, where are you?”

It took a few beats for the man to respond. “Ran into a sort of a maintenance issue.”

Lana let out a deep sigh. “How bad is it?”

“It's not great,” Koth admitted. “But we're on top of it. Give us uh..three minutes?”

Three minutes was a lot of time to spend completely exposed even under the cover of darkness. “Try not to waste any time,” Caydenn said prepping her rifle. 

“Wasn't planning on it,” Koth assured before the comm cut out. 

Lana pressed her comm off and pulled her lightsaber free. “Let's find a place to lie low and-.” 

“Not an option,” Caydenn interrupted as several Skytroopers descended from the gloom to surround them. “Three minutes. Okay.” The Skytroopers raised their rifles and unleashed a flurry of shots. Caydenn threw herself flat and Lana leaped high into the air, landing behind the droids and beheading them. Caydenn rolled onto her back and shot two more that emerged from the darkness. 

“So much for the cover-of-darkness theory,” Caydenn grunted as she got to her feet and followed Lana along the catwalks. 

“Vaylin's nothing if not persistent,” Lana agreed. Every platform they ran past was crawling with Skytroopers. They rocketed down from higher levels or crawled out of the darkness below attempting to overwhelm the pair. Caydenn was worried her rifle would begin to overheat with the amount of fire it was taking. Caydenn dashed after Lana as they approached another raised platform. She pulled out a beacon flare and cracked it. Red light washed over them. It would tell Koth where they were, but also alert their enemies of their position. 

Blaster fire echoed over their comms and Lana's eyes narrowed. “Koth? Is that....blaster fire?”

“Almost there! Three more minutes!” Koth shouted over the comm. Lana opened her mouth to reply back then whirled around. Out of nowhere two armored guards dropped down before them. They wore bronze armor and their faces were hidden behind helmets. They both held ignited blued lightsabers suspended on long pikes. They must have seen Lana's flare and come to investigate. Lana drew her saber and held it out in front of her in a defensive position. “Koth, we don't have three more minutes!”

“Two and a half!” Koth compromised blaster fire still ringing over the comms. 

Caydenn came to stand beside Lana, rifle aimed at the nearest guard. He pointed at her directly. “Outlander! You are guilty of assassinating the Immortal Emperor, and of evading imprisonment!”

The second guard, slightly smaller then the first stalked forward towards them. “We demand your immediate surrender!” He shouted twisting his saber pike. 

“Knights of Zakuul,” Lana explained quickly, indicating to the two armored men. “A policing body under Vaylin's charge. Force-sensitives.”

Caydenn observed their movements. They were controlled and precise. The signs of tempered warriors with experience. “We need to gain the upper hand. They must have some tactical disadvantage.” 

Lana shook her head. “Not that I've encountered. They're well trained, extremely competent.”

“Stop talking, disarm, and surrender at once!” The taller Knight growled impatiently. 

Caydenn only held her rifle tighter. “I can't tell you how many times I've been asked to lay down my arms. It's not happening.” She swore she saw Lana smirk at her words. 

“Then you give us no choice,” the Knight swore. “We'll just take you by force!”

He rushed forward, pike held out in front of him intent on goring Caydenn. The soldier leaped to the side, but the Knight pulled up short and swung his pike lengthwise cracking her across the chest. Caydenn stumbled back a few steps but was able to fire a few rounds which the Knight deflected. Across the platform, Lana locked blades with the other Knight. Back and forth they parried across the platform neither giving an opening for the other to exploit. Caydenn warily paced around the other attacker and he copied her movements. This wasn't like fighting the Sith or even a Jedi. These Knights were well disciplined with a high martial prowess. The Knight charged again. This time Caydenn stood her ground. At the last second as he swung his blade she ducked under the blow. Wrapping her arm around his she twisted it savagely. A crack echoed over the platform as she fractured his arm. The Knight roared and struck her across the face attempting to break free from her iron grasp, but Caydenn drove her knee into his stomach causing the man to double over. She drew her combat knife and plunged it twice into his back between the plates of his armor. He howled in pain and thrust his free hand out and Caydenn was unceremoniously thrown several meters away. 

Lana and the other Knight were still dueling. The Sith pivoted on her left foot and ducked under an overhead strike. She swung her blade low to try and cut her enemies legs off, but he just spun his pike blocking the blow. The other Knight flipped back up onto a higher platform, cradling his broken arm. 

“Tanek retreat,” he ordered as he leaped to another platform and disappeared into the shadows. His partner turned distracted. Lana seized the opening and surged forward carving a deep furrow across the Knights chest forcing him to drop his weapon and stumble backward. Lana stretched out her hand and snagged the man through the Force, lifting him up as he weakly gasped for air. 

“You Knights, you're never taught to properly channel your anger.” Lana glared up at the gurgling man as he clawed at the invisible hands around his throat. 

Seeing Lana like this caused Caydenn's stomach to twist. Even though she was a Sith Caydenn had never seen this level of brutality from the other woman. Caydenn walked up beside her, placing a hand on the smaller woman's shoulder. “Turn him loose.” 

“So he can come after us again,” Lana argued her fingers closing tighter into a fist. Caydenn just stared down at her. Their eyes blazed as neither refused to back down. Lana's fingers twitched and Caydenn was afraid she was going to snap the man's neck. Lana broke their gaze first. She dropped her hand and the Knight fell into a choking heap at their feet. He scrambled to his feet and eyed his discarded weapon for a second before thinking better and taking off down the catwalks. 

“Not what I call a sound strategy,” Lana objected pulling away from Caydenn's grasp and clipping her lightsaber to her belt. 

“We're going to be fighting against their new emperor. He'll tell them we're monsters. I want to show them something different,” the soldier clarified. 

“We can worry about your public image when you're safely away from here,” Lana said crossing her arms over her chest. 

“He was unarmed Lana. End of story,” Caydenn argued shortly. 

“Who cares?! He could come back with reinforcements. Your blind morality is going to get us killed!” Lana snarled rounding on the soldier. 

Caydenn gritted her teeth to keep from snapping back. This wasn't the time nor place to have such a conversation. Suddenly the entire catwalk shuddered under their feet. A massive girder fell towards them as they both dashed forward. The catwalk crumbled away beneath their feet and they pulled up short to avoid falling off the precipice. The wind around them began to pick up. Caydenn turned along with Lana to see Vaylin striding up the platform towards them. The very atmosphere seemed heavier, as if almost pressurized by the weight of this young woman's very presence. She walked leisurely, a smirk adorning her face. They were cornered and Vaylin knew it. 

“Vaylin,” Lana spit out stepping forward and drawing her lightsaber. 

“I don't know you,” the girl drawled toying with her own weapon as Skytroopers landed behind her. She turned her gaze on Caydenn. “But you, I've seen you...” 

“I'll hold her off as long as I can.” Lana paused and looked back. Her eyes shown with determination and a silent plea. “The first chance you get go.” 

Her request punched Caydenn in the gut. For all that they disagreed on, for all the emotional turmoil that existed between them, Lana still cared. Cared enough to give her life so she could escape. Caydenn shook her head. She was a soldier. She would never leave one of her people behind. “No way am I leaving you behind,” Caydenn asserted taking her place beside the Sith. 

“You're impossible,” Lana muttered as she readied her stance. Caydenn raised her rifle, taking aim right at Vaylin's head. 

Vaylin drew her saber but hesitated to stare down at the weapon before reclipping it to her belt. “No. I won't need that.” Her fingers spread wide and the smell of ozone permeated the air just like it had in the throne room when Valkorion had killed Marr. The hairs on her head stood up and Lana braced her stance, waiting for the inevitable storm to be unleashed. A rumble and the deep whine of engines broke the tension. A small assault transport rose up behind them and Caydenn turned. They were really screwed now. 

A familiar voice flooded their comms. “Heads down, eyes open, run like hell!” The ship let loose a salvo of shots which mowed down the Skytroopers on the platform behind them, while Vaylin tore a large chunk of the catwalk up and used it to shield herself from the incoming fire. 

“Come on!” Lana yelled over the noise. She ran forward and leaped onto the extended boarding ramp. Caydenn followed suit dodging the blaster fire as she went. She jumped but the ship veered away as Vaylin sent her metal shield careening in the ships right stabilizer. She hit the boarding ramp awkwardly, sliding backward as the ship spun out of control. She slipped further down the ramp hanging on by the tips of her fingers as Koth struggled to regain control. She grunted as she tried to pull herself up, but she couldn't find any purchase on the smooth metal. She swung her prosthetic arm up to try and make another grab for the ramp when a firm grip wrapped around her outstretched hand, helping to pull her to safety. 

“Declaration: Meatbags can't fly,” came a jovial automated voice as Caydenn was pulled up the ramp to safety. Before her stood a very familiar looking droid. It was about a meter and a half tall with laser-sharp photoreceptors and a thick durasteel chassis. An HK model assassin droid. Before she could ask about the droid Koth shouted from the cockpit. 

“Hang on! I'm going to punch it!” He was rapidly throwing switches and changing trajectories to avoid being shot down. The ship rocketed off into the distance, cutting through automated speeder lanes and dodging around buildings. An alarm began to blare and Koth swore. “Got a little engine trouble.”

The back end of the ship where the hyperdrive was located exploded. Sparks doused the HK unit who took a few rapid steps back from the smoking engine. “Okay, a lot,” Koth groused spinning the ship between two spires deftly. 

“Still good to finally be out of there,” Caydenn said. “Thanks for the pickup.” 

“Hold onto your gratitude for a little longer,” Koth said flipping a switch to help the ship gain altitude. “We're not safe yet.” Another beep blared through the small cabin and Koth frowned. “Guns locked on!” He began a frantic duck and weave pattern through the air to try and scramble the guns automated targeting system. 

“Get us out of here,” Lana ordered clutching the dash in front of her tightly as the ship rocked back and forth. 

“Trying to,” Koth barked back. The shields wavered as a particularly powerful blast scraped the underside of the ship. “Come on, come on...” Koth pleaded jamming the throttle up farther. 

A series of whistles and beeps broke over the comm systems as the guns turned offline. It was Teeseven! The little astromech had somehow managed to shut down the guns. Koth hooted in excitement. 

Lana smiled into her comm. “Thank you Teeseven. We owe you one.”

“Yeah, really,” Koth agreed with a relieved grin. 

“Lament: No one has thanked me...” the HK droid revealed from the corner. He was slumped over a bit in dejection.

Caydenn smiled at the HK unit. She had a soft spot for droids. “I appreciate the save,” Caydenn thanked the droid. It seemed to perk up at her sincere words. 

“Humility: It was nothing,” the droid replied striding up to her. 

“Okay...” Caydenn said. 

“Salutations: Greetings. I am HK-55, fully armed for combat and at your command,” the droid rattled off. 

So Caydenn had been right. This was an HK unit, but not a model she had dealt with in the past. “Good to know.” She turned back and crossed her arms over her chest watching as Koth skillfully navigated through the busy city districts with ease. She still had numerous questions running through her mind. Where was her team? What had happened to the galaxy? And how long had she been gone?

“I told you we'd succeed,” Lana mused, a pleased smile adorning her face. 

“You left out the part where I'd lose my ship,” Koth quipped from his chair. Lana rolled her eyes at him. 

“Lana, what's happened to the Republic?” Caydenn asked dreading the answers she was about to receive, but hoping for the best. “Is the government intact? And where's Havoc Squad?”

“Understand, there's only so much I can shed light on, Major,” Lana began and Caydenn frowned at Lana's use of her rank, which she never used. 

“Better get started,” Koth cut in. “It's going to be a short trip, and you've got five years of galactic hell to cover. HK make yourself and check the stabilizers.”

Caydenn visibly flinched like she had been struck. “Five years!?” How had so much time past? What had happened to the galaxy while she had been imprisoned in carbonite slowly dying?

Koth only nodded in sympathy. She looked back to Lana whose eyes were filled with pity and Caydenn scowled. She didn't need pity. What she needed were answers. She took a deep breath to steady herself. Her lungs protested and pain flared throughout her chest. Caydenn bent over and let loose a series of rattling coughs as her lungs constricted. 

“Koth do we have anymore antidote?” Lana asked rushing over to the bent over soldier. 

Koth frowned and glanced back in concern. “No, the rest burnt up when the ship went down.”

Lana cursed and helped ease Caydenn down to the floor. “You have to breathe Major. Try not to overexert yourself.”

“What's happening?” Caydenn struggled to get out as she wheezed. 

“The carbonite poisoning must have been more severe than I anticipated. The antidote was meant to cure your immediate symptoms and flush the toxins from your system, but the carbonite may have caused physical damage to your body,” Lana revealed as she pressed a hand over Caydenn's chest. A cool sensation spread out over her chest, easing the pain and clearing her lungs. She felt the sensation travel out to the tips of her toes and the top of her horns. 

“Lana?” Caydenn questioned quietly. 

“Hush. Save your strength,” Lana murmured softly. Caydenn lay back. Five years was gone. Five years she would never get back. How much had the galaxy changed since she had been gone? Was Havoc okay? She turned her gaze back to Lana who was studying her closely. How much did Lana know? Was she aware of Marr and Vitiate's deaths?

“Marr's dead Lana,” Caydenn said abruptly not sure how to break the news. 

Lana didn't seem surprised. “I know. I felt his demise. Everyone did.”

“We found the Sith Emperor. He's gone.”

At this Lana's eyes widened a bit. “How?”

Caydenn shook her head. She decided to forego telling the Sith about the dreams she had while sealed away. For all she knew they were the delusions of a dying mind. Still, something about them nagged at the back of Caydenn's brain. She pushed the feeling aside and turned to Lana. “It's a long story.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vaylin watched in silence as the crippled ship flew off into the distance, a smokey trail tailing behind it. The ship wouldn't make it that far before it would be forced to land. She turned and walked back down the catwalks, stepping over the broken Skytroopers that littered the area. So the Outlander had managed to temporarily evade her. It didn't matter, now that Vaylin had the woman in her sights there was nowhere she could hide from Vaylin's far-reaching sight. Descending to the lower platform she was greeted by a small squad of Knights. Huddled in the center of the group was a Knight whose armor was scorched by a deep lightsaber gash. 

“What is this?” Vaylin asked lightly, pointing to the deep furrow. 

The Knight in question, Tanek if Vaylin remembered correctly, trembled slightly as he stepped forward. “I encountered the Outlander on the lower catwalks.”

“Oh? All by yourself?”

Tanek shook his head. “No High Justice. My partner Novo and I discovered the Outlander and intruder and moved to apprehend them..but..um...” Vaylin motioned with her hand for him to continue. “They escaped after we moved to intercept them.”

“And they just let you live?” Vaylin questioned. 

“They l-let me g-go,” the Knight stammered back. 

“And instead of pursuing them you let them waltz off and escape,” Vaylin accused rounding on the man. She raised her hand, fingers curled tightly and Tanek rose off the ground choking violently. His hands went to his throat as he twisted aimlessly in the air. Inept fool. Vaylin closed her fingers tighter. 

“High Justice Vaylin! Please!” he gasped pitifully. “There was no way I could possibly-.”

She snapped his neck. She had no use for ineffective Knights. She turned the other Knights assembled. “Are you awaiting instructions?” They shook their heads and backed away. 

“Find the Outlander and if anyone encounters that incompetent idiot Novo kill him,” Vaylin ordered. The Knights dispersed quickly leaving the High Justice alone. Her holocomm blipped and Vaylin pulled the blaring device off her belt. The blue visage of her brother appeared before her. His arms were behind his back and his posture was rigid. By now he must have heard of the escape. 

“The Outlander?” he questioned, his voice held a hard edge. 

Vaylin shook her head. “No, she's gone.”

“Gone?” Arcann snapped incredulously. His eye blazed furiously and he leaned forward as if to emphasize his next point. “I don't care what it takes. I want her found.”

He turned his back to her and disappeared. Vaylin turned once again to survey the dissipating smoke trails in the sky. Her brother seemed ruffled at her news of the Outlanders escape and Vaylin wasn't sure why this was. Yes, the Outlander had killed their father, but from what Vaylin could gather the woman was nothing more than an ordinary soldier who held no special powers or connection to the Force. At least none that Vaylin sensed in her encounter. Was her brother hiding something from her? Wouldn't be the first time. There was much Vaylin was left in the dark about, most of which Vaylin didn't mind. But this was different. Maybe the Outlander was more dangerous than Vaylin was lead to believe. Perhaps it was time to have a talk with her brother.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow so if you made it to the end your amazing. Thanks for reading the first chapter and I hope you enjoyed it. The normal chapters of Kotfe will be listed as main chapters like Chapter 1, 2, etc. However some of the chapters may have sub chapters like 1.1 or 1.2 that I will use to explore other characters views and other story threads. I hope this isn't too confusing.


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